Phantasm
by cupcakeriot
Summary: Sequel to Psionics and does not stand alone. Denali has successfully kidnapped their subjects and more circumstances threaten to tear Bella and Edward apart for good. As they continue to learn about their heritage and past, will they have enough time to save their futures? OOC, lemons, M for maybe violence.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight! If I did, though, I would totally write fanfiction. Just saying.**

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**Chapter One**

"_I'm at war with the world,  
And they try to pull me into the dark,  
I struggle to find my faith,  
As I'm slipping from your arms.  
It's getting harder to stay awake,  
And my strength is fading fast,  
You breathe into me at last."_

_~ Skillet_

I'm exceptionally cold when I wake – freezing actually, as if I'm not wearing any clothing, though I can feel the fabric against my chilled skin. I open my eyes and see only darkness; I feel the tight knot of the blindfold around my head, which aches with an acute pounding in my temples. My limbs feel immobile.

I also feel like I should remember _something. _

And then, with a bluntness that startles me, another familiar voice enters my mind.

_Fucking Christ, I never thought you would wake up!_

_ Izzy?_

_ The one and only._

_ Where are we?_

_ Not sure. But we have to get the fuck out._

I try to sit up, twisting my limbs and hissing when I feel thick straps pressing into my flesh at the shoulders, elbows, wrists, waist, legs, knees and ankles. _There is no way I'm moving any time soon._

Izzy makes a distressed noise, something between a sigh and a scream.

And it reminds me instantly of the last things I'd seen – someone dressed in black with a black mask hitting Edward over the head with a blunt object. I remember a hand over my mouth and the odd realization that the leather covering the hand didn't match the soft feel of moist fabric against my mouth.

Tears pool in my eyes.

_We were so close, _ I tell Izzy. _What if he's dead._

_ He's not dead, _she reassures me quietly, confidently. _We would be able to feel that. I know it. But he feels like…he's missing. Alive but not quite here._

_ Here as in our location or here as in his mental state? Izzy?_

She doesn't answer me and I feel a chill in my spine.

And then, my time is up – a door opens, metal against metal, and slams closed. I can tell it's on the other side of the room. There is a steady click of heels against metal and my stomach sinks when I detect the change in direction.

Towards me.

I force my body to relax but I know it's too late – she's already seen my tense and I'm sure the set of my mouth doesn't appear calm at all.

Closer and then a feminine sigh and fingers tugging at the knot on the side of my head.

Then, blinding bright white light.

I squint, blinking the blue and green aftershocks our of my sight, knowing that Izzy is taking inventory of everything we see, most important of all is Carmen's face smiling down at me.

Funny how I had never noticed her smile seemed a little manic – a little too perfect in that Stepford Wife sort of way. "You're up," she tells me brightly. "The first one, too. Are you thirsty?"

I look at the sealed bottle of water in her hand and hesitate – do I risk it? It _is_ sealed.

Still, I shake my head after Izzy's firm _no_ echoes in my head.

Carmen shrugs and sets the water down beside me.

Her calm demeanor makes me tremble – like it's normal to go around stealing kids off the street. I almost miss when she starts speaking again.

"I'm afraid I can't unbind you, Bella. You've got that alter locked up in your brain and she's a flight hazard," Carmen says, sounding anything but apologetic though that is the emotion that is plastered on her face. "I'll be back to check up on everyone soon."

I don't acknowledge her as she walks away.

_Bella, there are others._

_ What?_

Izzy directs our gaze to the left, where she had picked up familiar honey blond hair – Rosalie. She is bound like me with thick leather padded metal and a black blind fold. Aside from the tussle of her hair, she appears perfect and sleeping.

I hear quiet, measured breathing behind me and know it's either Emmett or Jasper.

And though I had begun to feel more and more sick as our situation cemented in my mind, nothing made me want to wretch more than the sight of two bronze and auburn heads in front of me.

Alice.

And Edward.

I want to cry when I see the white bandage wrapped around his Mohawk.

_Oh God. Oh God._

_ Keep calm. Try waking someone up._

_ Right. That's what I should do._

And though I want nothing more than to yell Edward's name, to wake him and find out that he's okay – alive, breathing, safe even in a place like this – I can't. I can't open my mouth or manage to breathe more than a few quick inhales, on the verge of hyperventilation.

And the weirdest part is that Izzy isn't doing any better.

She's floundering, studying every aspect of the room we're in and the conditions of the people around us, over and over again. She doesn't try to alter and I can't understand why – now would be the perfect time, now is when I need to take a backseat and let her take the wheel.

But she doesn't. She won't.

I'm not sure how much time passes – an hour, fifteen minutes – but eventually, the others start moving, slowly at first, and then Rosalie's voice pierces the quiet of the room, and Jasper and Edward begin cursing up a storm. Alice is oddly quiet – almost accepting – and Emmett seems to be silently taking in the room and situation.

Rosalie turns her head, eyes locking on mine. "Oh, my God. Bella? What's going on here?"

It's the first sensible thing that's been said since they woke up. Maybe that's why the room goes silent and all eyes turn to me. Maybe that's why I foolishly ignore the strange light in Edward's blue green eyes when he looks at me.

Ignoring his unfamiliar, almost hostile, stare, I feel my wrists tugging at the straps that hold me to the chair. "It's Denali. Carmen, she didn't seem stable."

Emmett's voice from directly behind me, gently probing for more information, "How do you mean stable?"

I feel my head shake. "There's…I don't know. It's like she doesn't see anything _wrong_ with this."

"Fucking lunatic. I knew it," Jasper mutters. "Edward, man, we need a plan."

And that's when I feel my heart collapse in my chest, because not only do Edward's eyes pass over me without hesitation, but his next words are spoken in a clipped, angry tone that is so unlike _him_. "Who the fuck are you? Where am I? Alice?"

A heart beat.

Two more.

Another pause.

_What does he mean?_

_ What does that mean?_

"Edward?"

His cold eyes land on me, glaring. His jaw is tense and I feel a chill run down my spine.

"Don't you remember me?" I ask, my voice shaking.

"No," he bites out, annoyed.

My stomach sinks.

Rosalie gasps.

Alice's eyes widen.

_He doesn't remember me._

There is a single stain of blood, about half the size of my fist, soaking into the bandage on Edward's head and I know, without a shadow of doubt, that it is the reason he's forgotten me.

_He forgot us._

I hardly have any time to process it before the door is opening and Carmen is coming back in. She smiles brightly at us all while carrying a tray of familiar syringes.

The same from the vision.

Automatically, my body tenses – I don't even need Izzy's dark warning that whatever was in those needles wasn't good for us. Had my hands not been bound to the chair, I would have touched the sleek metal of the syringe to find out exactly what they were injecting us with. As it was, even as my hands skimmed the surface of the chair I was bound to, I felt no sudden surge of psychic clairvoyance.

_There has to be a way,_ I tell Izzy suddenly, quickly even as Carmen sets down the tray on a small table and carefully picks out a syringe, heading for Emmett. _They must be able to do something to objects to make them so mute to me._

_ Like…cleansing or some shit?_

_ Maybe. Because I should be able to know or get a feeling from this chair but there's nothing. _

Izzy thinks about it for a moment, quickly judging all the angles of my theory. _Even if it's true, there's nothing me can do about it now._

_ You're right. We can't _now_. But I will find a way around it._

_ We both will._

Emmett and Jasper don't struggle against the needle – they are stoic, silently taking whatever drug into their system without so much as a protest. I can't say the same for Rosalie, who puts up a very loud, very incoherent fight until Carmen finally holds her arm steady and unkindly sticks her with the syringe.

Almost instantly, it seems like Rosalie goes to sleep and I know that's exactly what happened to Emmett and Jasper.

_But why are they putting us to sleep? We're already in this stupid fucking steel room, at their mercy._

_ Maybe it's about breaking us._

_ Controlling us?_

_ Or…moving us._

Carmen comes towards me now, a slight furrow to her brow as she silently exposes the single large vein on the vulnerable inside of my elbow. I brace myself for the pinch of the needle piercing my skin and look up, catching two pairs of eyes.

The first is Alice's – she's watching with a slight somber, knowing smile. She's known this would happen, just like I did. She probably knew more than me.

I look away from her and right at Edward, my heart pulsing painfully in my chest because even if he didn't remember me, the last thing I wanted to see was her perfect chiseled profile and the soft spikes of her Mohawk. What I got was a perfect view of his odd colored eyes – the blue and the green mixing oddly under the harsh lights of the steel room. His face is nearly impassive but his eyes are somewhere between frustrated and concerned.

Where as I cannot look away from him, he watches the needle slide through my skin with barely concealed hatred.

_Hatred for me or what's happening to me?_

_ Probably neither, _Izzy answers sluggishly. Our eyes are closing slowly, fighting against the instant effects of the drugs for just one last glimpse of the boy who stole our heart and then forgot it all. _He's not our Edward anymore, Bella._

Her words trigger something in my mind because suddenly, instead of blinking at his blurring image as his head falls back, I feel like my eyes are in the future. I have no sense of how far away the image is – months, years, weeks, hours – but I do know that it causes a riot of hope to surge in my heart.

_Edward taking my face in his large hands, his lips moving silently, forming short words, and then gently kissing me._

Even in the cloudy state that I and Izzy are futilely fighting against, it doesn't escape our notice that this is my first _moving_ vision.

That and one final look at Edward are the last things I remember before my world goes dark.

_ By now, the rainbow motes against the brightly filtered lights are intensely familiar to me – even as familiar as Izzy's mind bonded tightly to mine in this place. I feel so safe here, though I'm aware that my body isn't safe wherever it is._

_ Renee is simply sitting on her swing, her feet barely grazing the dewy forest floor as she watches me approach. As I stand a few feet from her, she shifts the fabric of her simple dress and looks down. "They have taken you."_

_ "You knew they would."_

_ Renee nods, once. "I did. I feel it is partially my fault for revealing myself to you so soon. You're only sixteen."_

_ "What does my age have to do with anything?"_

_ "Our people come into their fully developed powers at age seventeen and though you are only half a year away from that day, it is still to early for these people to be…experimenting with you."_

_ I find myself sinking down to the moist grass. "You know what they're doing to us?"_

_ Renee looks at me steadily. "I know many things, dear one."_

_ "But how?"_

_ Renee's slender hand reaches towards me, pressing one finger against my forehead. "The gift is passed through the generations in our family, much like your lover's. Seers have always been the most powerful of us."_

_ I blink at her. "And, who are…_we_, exactly?"_

_ Renee pulls back, shaking her head and pushing her toes against the grass. "That I cannot say yet. I've already altered the future too much."_

_ I look down at the ground, shredding the grass beneath my fingers, and whisper bitterly, "My future will never be the same. They took me and they took him from me."_

_ "Child, all is not lost," Renee tells me confidently._

_ My eyes snap to hers, the color so similar yet so foreign for me to see on another face. "What could you possibly mean by that?"_

_ Renee stands, moving gracefully around the clearing. "I do not know why you would ask me, child. You've already seen it for yourself. Those enhancements have truly done their job, I think – you're progressing much faster than I ever did," she says, pausing in front of a particularly rainbow mote crowded section of air. She delicately presses her fingers against the motes, making them blend. "But, for now, I can confirm that your Edward will be with you again. Soon. He's a bit lost right now but he will come back." She pulls her fingers away from the air and turns to me. "One day, I will be able to teach you all of the wonders of this place."_

_ "And…what is this place?"_

_ Renee's brows raise. "This is the Phantasm."_

I blink into darkness, oddly warm and comfortable; it's such a change from the last time I woke up that I feel like I should scream. Instead, I sit up slowly, waiting for my eyes to adjust, and try to find a light source.

_The window, on the left._

_ Thanks, Izzy._

_ It looks fucking cold outside._

It's rather large – a huge slab of thick glass cut into a rectangle – and covers the entire wall. When I glance outside from the extremely comfortable bed I'm on, I feel a shock run through me.

Aside from the utter blackness that is the sky and the clouds that cover it, the ground is a single harsh white layer of snow with thick, frozen fog rolling over it sluggishly.

_I was right. Fucking cold. It's the arctic!_

"Do you know where we are?"

I turn towards the sound of Alice's voice, somehow expecting her to be awake and in the bed to my right; the bed on the left has a single, long lump that I just _know_ is Rosalie.

I shrug, feeling my shoulders hunch in.

_She knows something._

_ Just how much does she know? And why the fuck does it seem like everyone else knows more than us?_

"Alaska," Alice tells me somberly.

"Alaska," I repeat flatly. "As in _30 Days of Night_ Alaska?"

"The very same. I'm pretty sure it's northern Alaska."

I sit back against my pillows, feeling a surge of Izzy's impatience flow through me as I demand, "And how exactly do you know all of this?"

Alice frowns at me, crossing her arms over her chest. She looks very young in this moment, though I know she's the same age as me. "I've known…things for a while. My Ma, Elisabeth, found out about my dreams and has been teaching me a few things about our heritage."

I purse my lips and sigh. "Why didn't Edward know about any of this?"

Alice winces at his name but shrugs it off. "We both knew he was at Denali for the teleportation-"

"Apportation," I correct quickly.

"For the teleportation, then. But he didn't show any seer signs. All Ma knew about was seering…"

"He still should have known, Alice."

Alice picks at the duvet. "I know. I know. We were going to tell him, you have to believe me."

"I do," I tell her, glancing at the window again. "But what do you know? What was your mom teaching you?"

"How to control the seer gift. I think mine is much different than yours. I don't see concrete things. My visions are of the big picture, but are entirely based off decisions. By the time I saw you and Edward being taken, it was too late. I'd gone to Jasper to tell him and they must have heard our conversation."

I frown at her as Izzy pieces together snippets over conversation from our times with Renee and what we're learning now.

_I don't think we're entirely fucking human._

_ What? Don't be insane._

_ Princess, we passed insanity a long time ago._

I couldn't argue there.

"He has amnesia, doesn't he?"

I look up at Alice's tortured whisper and nod sadly. "He remembers you. That's the most important thing-"

But Alice shakes her head. "You forget what I've seen. The most important thing in his life has shifted to you. And now, he's gone back to how he was before you."

I swallow, suddenly feeling nervous. I knew – because he told me – that he's never been a ladies man.

But how else had he changed since he met me?

_What don't we know about him?_

When I ask Alice that exact question, her answer surprises me. "He was an asshole!"

"What?" I sputter, trying not to laugh. But, honestly, her conviction in such a horrible situation is hilarious.

"Oh, you don't know the half of it. He stopped drinking but he was always high from _baking_ last year. All that time he thought he was sleep walking really messed with his head, you know? And the fact that he was practically ostracized at school because of his total avoidance of girls? They thought he was gay!"

"Well, he's not," I say then slap my hands over my mouth.

_I can't believe you just said that._

_ Me either._

_ God, I'm rubbing off on you in the best possible way._

Alice smiles at me, relaxed.

From the bed on the other side of me, Rosalie groans, sitting up. "Where the fuck am I?"

"Alaska," Alice and I answer, sharing a look.

And it dawned on me that maybe we would be okay in this place, wherever we were.

Edward would come back to me.

And now, we had another advantage on our side – another who could see the future.

A solid feeling of confidence and hope settles in my chest.

With Alice's seer gift, my clairvoyance and Izzy's Chronesthesia, I was certain we would be okay.

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**A/N: So sorry for the long wait! First it was making sure I planned this entire thing right and then my computer kept crashing for three days, thus eliminating everything I'd written. Over and over again. And then some. It sucked!**

**Reviews (from the last "chapter" of Psionics):**

**Zozotheterrible – Welcome! And enjoy!**

**Kimmie41 – Ohh not sure when the lovin' is gonna be coming! He's forgotten her!**

**ngosa95 – Thank you!**

**PatchsFallenAngel – When you get here,** **thank you so much for reading!**

**CdrIvanova – I can't wait, either! LOL Wait, it's here!**

**Gigglesluver – And, voila.**

**PanteraFenix Negra – Uhm, whatever they are, I want some! They sound awesome.**

**SrslyGiGi – Oh, Denali knew. Denali knows much.**

**twilightgirl71493 – I wrote a story like crack?! Explains why I always felt high ;)**

**cullen freak8888 – Uhmm, haha, I did leave a cliffie lol**

**Cici G – And here it is!**

**Orangeduck23 – Posting now!**

**YesMyRealNameIsBella – Hmm…will Emmett be of use?**

**james3142 – Schweet, I'm evil! Lol**

**Twilight Rocker 12 – Yes! Kidnapped! All of them!**

**And another extra special shout out to the first review** **of the very last chapter of Psionics, Valentine Rain – Again, refrain from hair ripping lol Sorry in advance!**

**Alright, I'm off to write, eat, sleep and, you know, live.**

**As always, be brutally honest. I can take it.**

**p.s – DON'T kill me the amnesia thing! I have my reasons!**

**~cupcakeriot**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight! I swear I don't want to, so please don't sue me. It's not a very nice thing to do.  
**

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**Chapter Two**

"_I'm not the kind to control,  
What you're trying to do, well,  
You'll never get to my soul,  
Though you're trying to, you never will."_

_~Cherri Bomb_

At Izzy's uncharacteristically gentle insistence, I move off the bed and begin inspecting the room from top to bottom. As soon as Alice catches on, she delegates Rosalie to check the en suit bathroom and then begins looking under the beds herself. We work in silence, methodically searching every nook and cranny of the fairly large room – a certain tang of teamwork filling the air of the room.

_Our digs are pretty fucking nice._

_ So not important right now._

_ I know, Princess. Just pointing out the obvious. Think all the rooms in this place are this nice?_

I stop, standing straight and slowly putting the soft white lampshade back on the lamp as I consider Izzy's thoughts.

There were two very real possibilities here; one, the place we were trapped in was a huge mansion of some sort or two, for whatever reason, we had been given the best rooms.

I wasn't sure which was more disturbing or accurate.

Cautiously, I asked Alice, who sat on the bed and focused her glazed eyes ahead of her – straight out, not blinking, totally still even though her chest was rising and falling rapidly. I observe her meditative state silently, wondering if that is what Elisabeth taught her.

Eventually, after Rosalie has poked her head out of the bathroom, Alice shakes her head.

"I don't have an answer. Actually, from what you've told me, it seems like you're the only one with a clear picture of our location. That picture of the vision you drew, the house? Do you remember how big it was?"

It's my turn to shake my head. "Izzy's the artist, not me. She knows all about perspective and scaling and she's telling me right now that because I didn't draw any other landmarks, there's no way of telling how big or small the house I drew was. And, considering the décor…Compared to my very simple rendering, there's no way that the houses are one in the same."

"It's a slim possibility," Rosalie interjects, sinking gracefully onto her bed. "We can't rule anything out at this point."

"She's right," Alice nods sagely, weaving her fingers together. "Let's assume your _rendering_ isn't horrible and we _are_ in a complex room situated in a simple house. Why are we _here?_"

I feel my shoulder shrug as I sit heavily on the bed, pressing my fingers to my temples. "I don't know. I don't know why they kidnapped us or where the others are or even if we're the only…_subjects_ Denali has."

Alice sighs. "And I have a feeling that we're not going to know until we get out of this room. Did anyone find anything?"

Rosalie shakes her head slowly, pacing.

"The door is locked with a dead bolt. There's no way to get out of here unless someone lets us out," I whisper.

_We could try kicking in the door._

_ Like that will fucking work! Have you seen our skinny legs?_

I look around the room again, taking in the pretty light green and white striped wall paper, the cherry wood crown molding and hardwood floors. Three double beds are in a line against the longest wall, each with a distinctive duvet; my own has mint and cream swirls, Alice's is a design of light green and jade leopard print and Rosalie's is of art deco leaf colored roses. The massive window is surrounded in heavy cream drapes, which are held off to the side with an ornate tie. There is a dark cherry armoire, fairly large, with two wide doors and three long drawers – a desk to match and a small bookshelf which, oddly, only has a few nondescript books and a single mint colored candle. The two plump chairs situated around the bookshelf are upholstered with creamy satin and one of the chairs is angled away from the dead bolt door.

Feeling antsy and unsettled, I move towards the armoire, opening the wide doors. A slow feeling of dread fills my stomach when I find several shift-style dresses hanging on wooden hangers – the same kind of simple, flowing skirt dresses that Renee and I wore in the Phantasm, as she calls it. In fact, the style is so familiar that I pull one off the hanger; a simply elegant wide scoop-neck collar and a full back, connected by a soft pinch of fabric at the top of the shoulders. The dress tapers only slightly in the waist and the perfect A-line skirt seems to hem right at the knees. Looking back at the armoire, I feel my brows furrow at the wide array of colors – everything from white and grey to bright pinks and purples.

_Those fucking dresses look like they're from the 70's._

I don't comment because I have a feeling that Izzy is exactly right and the thought is very disturbing.

"What's that?" Rosalie asks, coming up behind me and peeking into the armoire. "Oh, my God. It's like a uniform," she whispers.

"What about the drawers?" Alice question, pulling open the top one.

A neat row of simple silk bras in three different sizes and varying colors greet us and, upon further inspection, the bras are in our own sizes. The next drawer is the same, except it is filled with a wide array of panty styles and colors. The last drawer contains various silk pajama sets – night gowns, shorts and collared shirts, long pants and camisoles.

"What the fuck?" Rosalie exclaims, stepping away from the armoire.

_My sentiments exactly, Barbie. This shit is disturbing._

I feel a shudder race through my body and look at Alice.

Her delicate face is drawn, frowning at the contents of the drawer. "They've known about me for much longer than we'd originally thought," she murmurs, touching the edge of a shift dress. Her eyes snap to mine. "And they must have been spying on all of us for long enough to get our exact sizes. This is no coincidence."

I silently agree with her as I close the armoire and glance around the room.

_No cameras,_ I tell Izzy.

_That you know of,_ she shoots back. _Check the bathroom. Let's see if they got your brand of soap right, too._

I shouldn't have been shocked, but I am as, when I peek under the cabinet sink, all of my favorite pomegranate toiletries are lined up, along with a cherry blossom scented variety and a vanilla white rose assortment.

When I reluctantly tell Rosalie, she only sits down silently; Alice, on the other hand, smiles grimly. "They've been in our homes."

"I checked everywhere in that bathroom," Rosalie whispers. "I didn't think about under the sink. Oh, God, I think I'm going to be sick."

Alice pats Rosalie's shoulder. "Hey, it's going to be okay."

"How do you know?"

Alice taps her temple once. "I _know_ it will be okay…"

"Eventually," I finish for her, understanding that even if Alice saw us all healthy and happy in the future, she didn't know the details of _how_ it would happen.

I had the distinct notion that figuring out the _how_ would be my job.

Maybe an hour passes before Rosalie becomes restless again – she insists that even if we are locked up in this room, that there is no excuse for neglecting our hygiene. She has a point.

So, we take turns using the bathroom to shower. I volunteer to go last, noticing that Alice needed a break from trying to have a vision; I only wished I could help out more and have my own visions so we could break free.

But, I knew it didn't work like that.

As immediate as my visions are, there is no inducing them that I am aware of.

I think about Renee as Rosalie roots through the armoire, settling on a dusty rose colored shift with matching undergarments – Rosalie drops her towel in the middle of the room, having no shame about her perfect body.

_If Elisabeth was teaching Alice about the visions, why wasn't Renee teaching me?_

_ Fuck if I know, _Izzy hisses. _Maybe that's something to ask her!_

I take my time in the shower, surprised that razors were provided to us. Unlike Rosalie, I'd already picked out the dress I wanted to wear and brought it in with me; I reluctantly admitted that the structure was flattering and that the smooth plum fabric felt nice against my skin.

I hadn't heard a knock on the door or any screams of terror so I'm rather surprised to find another girl in the room when I walk out of the bathroom, fingering my hair into a loose fishtail braid.

"Oh," I say quietly, taking in the body language of my friends – or, rather, the girls who had become my closest friends in the short span of hours.

Alice is leaning back against the bed, the hunter green fabric of her dress making her jade eyes pop against the pale of her skin and the bronze of her hair. Rosalie, on the other hand, is staring steadily – and harshly – at the girl, her spine straight as she sits in one of the upholstered chairs.

_Barbie looks like a fucking princess, Princess,_ Izzy says, referring to the way Rosalie's ankles were crossed.

I shake my head slightly, doing a quick study of the new girl; lightly tanned skin, pale chestnut hair, sleek brown metal square glasses and honest hazel eyes. She's pretty in a conventional, cookie-cutter way, with her hair perfectly straight and parted down the middle, free of layers or fly-aways. She smiles hesitantly at me. "I'm Angela."

"Bella."

_I'm surprised you haven't altered yet, Izzy._

Izzy waves me off. _I'm saving up for a real threat. Chic Geek is nothing._

"I was sent to give you a tour."

Rosalie raises one perfectly arched brow. "Oh, we're allowed out?"

Angela looks down, adjusting her glasses. "They do offer a lot of freedom here."

"And…where is here, exactly?" Alice asks.

"Barrow, Alaska," Angela replies, her face suddenly lighting up. "It's polar night for another few weeks. That's why it's so dark out right now."

"Great. They send a brainwashed minion," Rosalie says scathingly.

Angela purses her lips. "I'm hardly brainwashed. I'm just making the best out of a bad situation," she tells us firmly. "None of us _want_ to be here, but there is no way out. If you don't want a tour now, they'll just send one of the workers and that could be days."

"We want the tour," I say eagerly.

"Will taking the tour mean they'll let us out on a regular basis?"

"The Denali's don't keep us locked up," Angela says, standing. She moves to the door, holding it open for us. I notice that her own dress is a golden cream.

One by one, we follow her out and down a long, narrow hallway. "This is the girl's wing; the boys are on the other side. My room," she gestures towards a door on the right. "I share with another girl, Lauren."

"Are we the only ones who have three to a room?" Rosalie asks, her brows furrowed – I can't tell if she's annoyed that she has to share or relieved.

Angela nods. "Your room is slightly bigger than everyone else's, but you all also fill up the house." She leads us down a winding iron staircase and we come into what looks like an activity room, filled with televisions, computers, games and a large collection of books. "This is the girls entertainment area, if the pink didn't already clue you in."

There are a few girls peppered around the room who pay us no mind as Angela explains that there is a curfew – eleven – when we need to be in our rooms. Then, she takes us into a large, cream, white and silver foyer through a swinging door; directly opposite across the foyer is another swinging door that must lead to the boy's side of the house. There is a large dinning room across from the massive double oak front doors with two impossibly long tables; then the elaborate kitchen with two of everything; then the music room that has a baby grand; then familiar "testing" rooms almost exactly like the ones back in Albany; and then, finally, the sprawling backyard, which tapers off into dense forest.

"We're on the northern side of Barrow," Angela explains. "There's not a lot of people around here-"

_Wonder why,_ Izzy says dryly.

"But the backyard is for everyone. A lot of training happens out here during the week."

I feel my brows furrow, skin pulling against metal. "What kind of training happens in a backyard this size?"

Angela waves her hand. "It's mostly for the boys, for the ones that can teleport or whatever."

_Teleport? Doesn't she mean apportation, like Edward?_

"I mean, the alpha males need a lot of room for all of that power – and the physical training, of course," Angela continues.

"Alpha male?"

Angela blinks at Alice, frowning. "Well, yeah. The betas are strong, too, but not nearly as impressive as the alphas."

"Angela, what are you _talking_ about?" Rosalie demands.

My mind is still playing catch up.

_Alpha males. That sounds so…_

_ Primal. And not psychic at all._

_ You said you didn't think we're all that human, Izzy._

_ Are you worried about what happens if I'm right?_

_ Maybe._

_ Don't. It doesn't change the plan – get lover boy to remember us and get the fuck out of dodge._

"Oh, gosh. I wasn't supposed to say," Angela whispers, craning her neck to look through the huge windows of the house, presumably making sure nobody could see us.

Or hear us.

Her eyes are very wide when she looks back at us, her hands shaking – from the cold of the snow against our bare arms or from fear, I don't know. "Look, you were going to find out eventually. We all do."

"What is it?" Rosalie hisses, impatient.

_I feel ya, Barbie. Spit it out, Chic Geek._

"Things are…not as Denali makes them appear when they first meet us."

"Were you kidnapped, too, Angela?" Alice asks, wringing her hands together.

Angela nods. "A year ago. And I found out pretty quick that none of us are really _psychics_."

"What?" Rosalie spits.

Angela jumps, but holds her ground, nodding once.

_Not psychics._

_ Nope._

"What do you mean, we're not psychics?" I ask, my head spinning.

I glance at Alice, who is blinking rapidly.

Angela huffs. "I mean exactly that, technically we're not psychics. There is initial testing before they take us but when we get here, it's all about honing the enhancements and learning how to control our powers."

"Powers," Rosalie says flatly. "Like, superhuman powers?"

Angela shrugs. "Something like it. As far as any of us can understand it, they use the whole psychic research thing as a ruse to get us here, under their control. We just don't know what they want with a bunch of beta witches-"

"Witches?" Rosalie yells. "You've got to be _kidding_ me!"

"I'm not! It's not like the Harry Potter witches! It's more like, I don't know, Wiccan witches. _No_ _magic_, it's all about mind power!"

Alice is nodding slowly, taking this all in. "Witches."

"Yes," Angela confirms.

I feel my fingers fiddling together. "You're saying that every single kid here is a _witch?_"

"Exactly," she tells me.

I look away and at the snow. _Is this what Renee couldn't reveal to me?_

_ Looks like it. Told you, by the way. Not exactly human._

Rosalie seems to snap out of her minor hysterics. "What's with all that beta, alpha stuff?"

"It's how they classify us," Angela says slowly. "How powerful everyone is. There's a lot more betas here than alphas, especially with the boys. Actually, there aren't any alpha females right now and only two alpha males."

"That's…a really drastic difference," I whisper. "How can they tell who is what?"

"It's all based on whatever 'psychic' power you had when you came here," Angela says, using quotations. "They classified me as a PK, psychokinesis. It's not as impressive as, say, telekinesis. I can only move small, electrified things – like the inside of a computer. I'm a beta, of course. But I hear the alphas have really special stuff, like seeing the future or traveling back in time."

_Cool, we're alphas,_ Izzy says gleefully. _Really fucking strong, we are._

_ Maybe that's not such a good thing._

_ What? Of course it is. It makes our chance of getting out a lot better._

_ It also puts us more at risk. Wouldn't they want to study their alphas a lot more closely than, say, anyone else?_

_ Fuck. True._

"What about the boys?" Rosalie asks wearily. "Are they called witches, too?"

Angela nods. "Yes, but their powers are a lot more physical, like the teleportation or shielding. Only one of the alphas can teleport and he's not that good – all power, no control. Once, though, I heard one of the Denali's call the alphas _dragons_."

"Oh, my God. This just got way too Renaissance Faire for me," Rosalie whispers, rubbing at her eyes.

"Do they turn into dragons?" Alice demands suddenly, her voice choked and worried.

"No, no. It's just…they're powerful like dragons."

I sigh. "Witches. Witches called dragons. Alphas. Betas. Powers…what are we _doing_ here?"

Angela studies me for a long moment. "That is something none of us have figured out."

After another minuet or so, we hurry back inside, Angela leading us to the kitchens where a slender girl with cornsilk hair and evenly tanned skin is humming over the gas stove. She pours a can of soup into a small pot and, without her even touching the stove, the flame ignites.

Rosalie gasps.

Angela rolls her eyes. "Nicole is a pyrokinetic. She's good with fire."

"I'm the best with fire and don't you forget it," Nicole says, glancing at us before doing a double take. "Ah, fresh meat. What's your power?" she asks in a way that sounds almost like _'what's your sign'_?

"Psychic healing," Rosalie answers quickly.

Alice straightens her spine. "I'm a seer."

"Me, too," I say, warily trusting the people around me. "Chronesthesia also."

Angela stands up straight and Nicole stares at Alice and I with wide eyes.

"_Two_ alphas? Guess they're not fresh meat at all," Nicole whispers.

"The first female alphas," Angela says. "Hey, didn't you guys come in with some boys?"

_If coming in is the nice way to put it, then, yes._

Rosalie nods. "Yeah, my brother and two of his friends. Why?"

Angela shrugs. "Maybe one of them is an alpha, too."

_Edward is,_ Izzy sneers. _And, he can teleport-_

_ Apport._

_ -better than that other spineless "alpha"._

_ You don't know that, Izzy._

_ Fuck that, I do know. Lover boy is tough shit around here._

"Maybe," I answer, distantly hearing my stomach growl.

When was the last time I ate?

I don't even remember.

I feel my fingers tapping against the counter. "Angela?"

"Hmm?" she hums distractedly – obviously still thinking about the ramifications of new people and new female alphas.

"What's there to eat around here?"

"Oh! It's Sunday so it's kind of a fend-for-yourself type of thing. There's pretty much everything in this kitchen," she says as loud male voices bounce into the room from the foyer. She rolls her eyes. "Looks like the herd is coming in to graze. Maybe you should wait ten more minuets?"

I shake my head. There's no way I'll make it that long with the sudden gnawing in my stomach.

As the room fills with male voices, I open a few cabinets until I thankfully stumble across a small bag of organic rice chips.

Just as I'm pulling the bag, a hand lands on my hip – too warm and moist to be Edward, though I knew with his amnesia he would never touch me.

"Hey now," a leering voice says. "Don't bend over and present that beautiful ass to me unless you want me to spank it."

Before I can even take my next breath, my vision blurs.

And then, I'm spinning on my heel, the palm of my hand connecting with a smooth cheek.

His head snaps to the side, limp blonde hair handing in his eyes. He reaches up to rub his cheek and glares at me. "Fucking bitch," he sneers, stepping closer. "Want to try that again?"

I raise my hand and slap him for a second time – by now, the commotion has caused all the other fucking people in the room to turn their heads and find out what's happening.

_I honestly don't give a fuck._

"Want to keep your grimy hands to your fucking self, buddy?" I hiss, pushing against his chest.

He doesn't budge, rather, he grabs my wrists and spins my body around. "I own this fucking place, bitch," he says, forcing my front against the edge of the open cabinet. His hand slides down my back, blunt nails scratching against the fabric of this stupid fucking dress as I struggle against him.

I hear Rosalie yelling and Alice pleading with someone to do something; the other boys in the room are silent, except for one annoyed murmur.

My entire body is shuddering with revulsion and I get even more mad very quickly – this is the exact thing I'd always told Bella I would handle. Nobody would touch us without our permission and yet, here it was, happening and there was nothing I could do about it.

It didn't matter how much I fought against the fucker, he still had me trapped, his hand squeezing the flesh of my ass through the dress. His hot breath hits my neck. "You see, I can touch who I want, however I want, whenever I want. And there's not anything you can fucking do about it."

I manage to stomp on his foot and through my head back in the direction of his face at the same time a furious, familiar voice grinds out, "The fuck you will."

And then, suddenly, I'm free from the fucker, who cries out in protest when the sickening crunch of bone against fist fills the room.

"Jesus, man, calm the fuck down!"

"Me, calm down?" Edward demands. "You fuckers just watched him maul her and I need to calm down? Fuck off."

I turn to see Edward's hands clenched and the blond haired guy cupping his hand over his bloody face.

I have the oddest urge to say thank you, even though that's more Bella's gig than mine. Instead, I aim a swift kick to the blond guy's balls, grinning when he groans in pain.

The other guys corral around the blond kid, asking _James_ if he's okay, before dragging him out of the kitchen.

Nicole snaps off the stove – literally – and bounds out of the room. "I've got to tell Seth about this."

Once she's gone, I notice Emmett and Jasper looking between Edward and I and Alice and Rosalie – and I conclude that James had given them the grand tour, too.

"Are you okay, Bella?"

I look up at the sound of Alice's voice and nod, once.

Even if I did feel like puking my guts out, I was fine.

"Yeah, I'm fine."

Edward shakes his hand a few times, stretching out his fingers. "Who the fuck is dumb enough to get in that position?" he mutters.

I glare at him. "Excuse me?"

"You heard me," he says dryly.

"I _hope_ I heard you incorrectly," I bite out.

_Asshole Edward isn't one I'm found of, even if it does make his sexy Mohawk a little more bad ass._

"Well, let's clear it up," he sneers, glaring at me.

I suddenly notice how much taller and bulkier he is than me.

The others in the room, especially Rosalie and Alice, are watching the exchange with rapt attention.

They really shouldn't.

Asshole Edward and I clearly don't get along.

"I said, who is dumb enough to get into that position. And it looks like I found my answer."

"It's not like I asked the fucker to feel me up, asshole!"

Edward appraises my stupid dress coolly. "Obviously, you didn't have to ask. The way you're dressed says it all."

I fume, striding over to him and poking him hard in the chest, happy when he winces a little bit. "It wouldn't matter if I was wearing a paper fucking sack because that sick jackass would have done the same thing. Thank you for helping me out-"

"Helping? I did more than fucking help!"

"I don't give two shits what you did. It's over and done with."

Edward crosses his arms over his chest. "And maybe next time you see the fucker, you'll think twice about showing so much skin."

"I don't have a choice, asshole! This is all we have to wear!"

_Christ, who the fuck is he?_

_ He's Edward._

_ He's not ours right now, Bella. He's just asshole number one._

_ But –_

_ There is no but. _

_He saved us._

_ Yeah, yeah. Lover boy saves the day. He still doesn't remember so chill out. Nothing to get excited about._

_ But it is progress._

I didn't say it to her, especially not when Edward glares silently at me as he walks away, back through the foyer without a second glance back, but I can't help but think that any progress on the _Edward_ front will be tedious.

And, I wonder if it's even worth it.

* * *

**A/N: I know, I know! Witches?! What?! Arrrg. Lol That was a pirate. Uhmm, so this chapter had a lot of information – as questions if you need to!**

**On to reviews:**

**MissMileyRaion – Hit me with your best threat ;)**

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**lovestwilight2010 – thank you!**

**Love M Go Blue – Yes, that was Bella's first moving vision – you totally got it. As for the Izzy-Bella-sleeping-but-awake thing? As I see it, Izzy is only conscious when Bella is; when Bella is asleep, so is Izzy.**

**cullen freak8888 – Yes, Mr. Cane Dude did make me laugh lol Is Carmen really behind it, though?**

**Krystalwinds1990 – Oh, God! Me too! D: Damnit Edward, remember her!**

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**Alternativetwins – Hey! Long time, no review! ;) Gotta love Emmett!**

**shar76 – Thank you for reading! Let's hope the writing stays good lol**

**Kimmie41 – Amnesia is funny like that! Alice has been in his life for so long, it's almost impossible for him to forget her!**

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**And super special shout out to the first review of the last chapter; Kaygou – Elisabeth probably suspects….lol**

**And another special shout out to TR12 for helping me and listening to my rants! It means a lot, even if I'm sorta a crazy American :p**

**Alright, Rioteers, my hands are tired and I'm dying for my Ben&Jerry's so, this is where I leave off. Oh, my God, so many reviews! You guys rock!**

**As always, be brutally honest. I can take it.**

**~cupcakeriot**


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: Don't own it!**

* * *

**Chapter Three**

"_I can smile for the camera,  
I can feed you my heart,  
I can lie lovin' at ya,  
I can act my part.  
And it's not the way I wanted it to be,  
But no one ever asked me.  
So I smile for the camera,  
And I act my part."_

_~ Cherri Bomb_

I stomp away from the kitchen, ignoring the gnawing in my stomach, and swiftly move down the hallway. The amount of pure rage coursing through my blood only served to piss me off more.

Because who the _fuck_ is that girl?

Why does she seem familiar to me even when my sister is the only person I recognize?

And why does she have to be so irritatingly beautiful?

"Fuck," I mutter, tugging at my hair as my pace picks up speed.

Logically, I knew I had no reason to be mad at _her_ for what just happened in the kitchen; that was all James, the asswipe. Who did he think he was, going around and harassing petite girls? And that bit about him being able to do anything he wants – bullshit.

Obviously, his fucking ego was huge and it was all because he's an _alpha_.

What the fuck ever.

It's not an excuse to be a blooming rapist.

I'm almost to my room when someone calls out, "Hey, man!"

My spine is stiff when I turn around – all I really want to do at this point is go to my room and pace and try to figure out what the fuck is going on. "What?" I spit, glaring at the tall, lean guy with latte colored skin and jet black hair.

He grins, sticking his hand out. "I'm Seth."

"Edward."

Seth's face melts into a serious stare. "Nicole just told me about what happened with your girlfriend-"

"She's not my girlfriend."

_Why the fuck did that feel like a lie?_

"With that girl, then. Anyway, I just wanted to warn you that James lets shit get to his head too much. He forgets he's not the only alpha around here. He wouldn't have even tried that shit if I was there-"

"Why not? Why are you so important?"

Seth's brows raise. "You like to interrupt people, man. It's okay, I forgive you."

I feel my lips press into a thin line. _Like I need his forgiveness? _"Are you going to answer my fucking question?"

Seth shrugs. "I'm just the other alpha. Shielding. I try to maintain the peace," he says.

"Good for you, I guess," I mutter, turning to my room.

"Hey, wait," Seth says. "Did James give you the tour?"

I scoff, glancing at him out of the corner of my eye. "He had the pleasure."

Seth grins. "So, he told you about the witch thing, then?"

This makes me pause.

Because James was too busy boasting about his shitty teleportation and about all the ass he apparently gets – not willingly, I assume, now – to tell anybody anything about shit.

Seth's grin widens. "Well, let me do the honors. You're not a psychic. You're a witch."

I bark out a laugh because this guy has got to be kidding.

There's no way.

I can't even entertain the fucking thought.

I just want to get my sister and get out of this insane place – even though as I think it, my mind adds in the face of that girl.

Didn't someone call her Bella?

Not that it matters, of course.

Seth shrugs. "I'm not fucking with you, man. We're witches. And for some reason, Denali wants us here."

He's so fucking serious, I pause.

Why would anybody lie about something so fucking ridiculous?

There's no reason.

And then, I know, he's telling the truth.

"Tell me everything you know," I demand as Jasper and Emmett round the hallway corner.

My mind may be in the dark, but I refuse to let that stop me from getting the hell out of here.

_Izzy_

We're back in the room, silent as Angela leaves. I, for one, am glad that annoying bitch is gone.

_She's not that annoying._

_Did you hear that? It was a mental snort._

_So polite._

_Damn straight._

I sit heavily on the bed, tugging on the fabric of this stupid dress. There's absolutely nothing I want to do more than find a pair of tights to cover our legs so assholes like James don't get any funny ideas.

And wouldn't you know it? There aren't any fucking tights – or jeans for that matter – in this hell hole.

_We need to talk to Renee._

_Why? What's our "mother" going to do for us now, Bella? She's useless!_

_No, she's not. She knows something._

_And what makes you think she's going to tell us?_

That silences Bella quickly – because I'm right about it. Renee hadn't told us anything helpful before it was too late. It would have been nice to know about the witch bullshit before Angela told us.

"Are we just going to sit here?" Rosalie demands.

"Well, Barbie, what else are we supposed to do?"

Rosalie's eyes widen and her mouth thins out with fury. "What did you just call me?" she spits, stepping closer.

I lay back on the bed. "I'm not afraid of you, Barbie. This is Izzy, remember?"

She hisses out a sigh. "God, when can Bella come back? I don't like this one."

"Feeling's mutual."

"Okay, come on, both of you," Alice injects.

Barbie and I look over at her.

"We need a plan," she says, sitting calmly in the middle of the bed. "Obviously, my brother isn't going to be much help and who knows when the Denali people are coming back-"

"Soon, probably."

I nod. "Barbie's right. They're not just going to let us sit around here all day for no reason."

Alice ignores Rosalie's heavy sigh and continues, picking at her duvet with nervous fingers. "Izzy, what can you do?"

I shift, closing my eyes. "See the past."

"And you…haven't gotten anything yet?"

My eyes snap open. _Of course._

_That's what was missing!_

"Nothing," I say quickly, sitting up. "And Bella didn't see anything either! She touched a few things and – nothing. Not one thing. What the fuck?"

"Does that mean…I mean, is this place _cleansed_ or something?"

Alice and I look up sharply at Rosalie.

"Is that shit possible?" I ask aloud, not expecting an answer.

I don't get one, but as we continue to sit in silence, it becomes glaringly obvious that it is, in fact, possible.

It isn't until I'm falling asleep that I realize the implications – if Bella can't touch and _know_ and if I can't touch and _see_, where the fuck does that leave our escape plan?

_Izzy's mind blends with my own until we are thinking on the same wavelength, taking in the rainbow motes of light and the faint swish of fabric and air. Renee is swinging high on her swing, the dark green canopy above her keeping her in cool shadows._

_It's twilight here, in the Phantasm – yellow light is replaced with soft pinks and purples and the grass is no longer the vibrant green it was. My feet seem ultra pale against the silky sprigs of deep blue grass._

_I can't decide if the twilight is more beautiful._

_Renee smiles at me from her perch, a sad sort of smile that seems almost guilty – like she didn't do enough._

_But how could she?_

_Even a seer can only see so much._

_I shake my head, knowing that I have to utilize this time for a greater purpose._

_To get answers._

"_Child."_

"_Mother."_

_For some reason, it didn't feel odd to call her Mother – it's who she is. My Mother. Renee. Mother. Renee – it didn't matter._

_Renee's swing slows some. "I see you've made it back to the Phantasm by yourself."_

_I feel my brows furrow. "What do you mean?"_

"_The other times, I summoned you."_

"_You can do that?"_

"_I can do many things."_

_A Izzy-like snort escapes me. "Care to share?"_

_Renee's face heats some before her gaze turns solemn. "I should have shared more sooner, just as Elizabeth should have shared her suspicions with not only your love's sister, but him and you-"_

"_You know about Elizabeth?"_

_A steady gaze. "I can do many things," she repeats. "I know many things."_

"_You know Elizabeth?"_

_A slow shake of the head. "Not personally. But, I knew her mother, before the escapes happened. We shared a room when she had fallen pregnant with Elizabeth."_

"_But…you're so young..."_

_Renee nods. "Here, I am just nineteen and I will always be nineteen. But Elizabeth's mother was older than me, just thirty at the time. She would have had Elizabeth when she was thirty one and, by then, the escapees had all spread."_

_I feel myself sinking onto the grass beneath me. "Escapees?"_

_Renee takes several slow steps forward, as if she doesn't want to startle me. "This is not the first time Denali has taken our people."_

_My eyes snap up to hers. "What? Why didn't you tell me this before?"_

"_It was not the right time to tell you, child," she says calmly. "I had seen when the right time would be and that is now. Will you listen to me? I…need to share my life with you."_

_As she speaks, Renee reaches up to tap against the rainbow motes. When her finger touches a mote, it sparks like a firework, revealing floating pictures – her story. _

"_I was fifteen the first time I saw the future," she begins, crossing her legs underneath her body. "And that was when my own mother shared our heritage. She would have told me sooner, you see, but my father was strictly human – he had no idea of the magic my mother did through her second sight and she never told him, not as long as she and I both lived. Mother introduced me to a new world, one filled with the wonders of the Phantasm and of futures not yet written and simple enchantments to charm lives. It was a blissful two years. And then, a young doctor by the name of Marcus started coming around," Renee whispered, faintly touching the grass. "It was the very early eighties and I was raised in a very wealthy, conservative family. We were charmed by Marcus, my mother and I, and of his vision of the world. He knew about our people, had studied them from ancient texts. He was convinced that we were needed again. My mother sent me off with Marcus to find others like me. My visions never revealed his true intentions until it was too late…_

"_Not long after I left with Marcus did he throw me into a dark room in some northern city. I remember being very cold and hungry for the longest time. He would come by every so often and demand I tell him of the future. And I did, because I knew I was one out of a handful of subjects and I greatly feared him. He left us all alone, even fed us, when we cooperated. Elizabeth's mother, Heidi, became my room mate. I felt so guilty for so long because I was the one who helped Marcus find her. Even worse, Marcus had taken an interest in her…I will spare you the details," Renee says softly. "But Heidi was not his willingly._

"_After Heidi came, Marcus began to become more lenient. He let us out. He moved us to a new, better, nicer location and we lived as happily as we could. He still came for Heidi in the night, but she was strong – she never cried out. Heidi was very much a mother, the oldest of all of us, a seer who saw the big picture. She knew she would survive and she knew how to escape."_

_Renee smiles fondly. "It was during this time of planning that I met your father. He was an alpha, you know. Very strong shield with a talent for picking up cruel intentions – the best protector of the bunch. Heidi was moved out of my room and your father, Charles, was moved in. Our love was…inevitable. He was perfect for me and I was perfect for him. His ambition, though, to escape was our downfall. After I'd become pregnant with you, Charles grew more protective. There was a vampire, as we liked to call them, who had his eyes set on me."_

"_A real vampire?"_

"_Heavens, no. A vampire is just a very sinister witch, much like we called the strong alphas dragons. The words were codes and entertainment as we only had each other and the walls to talk to."_

_I nod, though a sinking pit fills my stomach. "This vampire, his name was…"_

"_Felix," Renee nods, smiling sadly. "I'm sorry you ever had to meet him. He wasn't ever very stable or very strong – just a disturbed young man that Marcus could mould. Felix was always at Marcus' bidding – which is why not all of us escaped. _

"_Though Charles tried to keep Felix from me, there was nothing he could do when I went into labor. I remember holding you one moment and then screaming for you the next. Marcus put you in the care of a very young girl, Chelsea. It was at this time that Heidi also fell pregnant – and this is when the plans of escape grew more desperate. We, as a group, didn't know what to do. Heidi insisted we wait until she was five months along…She knew I wouldn't make it out, I think. She wanted me to have time to watch you grow a little bit older. Chelsea was very good with you and managed to keep Felix away from you, just as Charles kept Felix away from me._

"_The night we escaped, Marcus was out, researching or looking for others, I don't know. But he was gone and we took the opportunity. It was easy. Too easy," Renee turns her sad eyes on me. "Your father made sure we all got out and as he was helping me through the window, he was also the first of us to fall. Felix, who we had forgotten to plan around, killed him in cold blood and took me with him. After he…child, he killed me, too, not soon after."_

_I shiver, the story giving me chills._

_But what was worse?_

_Elizabeth was the child of Heidi and Dr. Marcus._

_Which made Alice and Edward his…grandchildren._

_Did he know?_

_Is that how he found us?_

_And why was the escape so easy? Unless.._

"_I didn't pass into the heaven state, though. I was very skilled with working the Phantasm, more skilled than I am with my own clairvoyance. Being so in tune with the Phantasm, I was able to keep my spirit here, my essence on this plane. I was – and am – able to see that the escapees all survived. _

"_And, I was able to see as Marcus plotted his experiment again – this time, with the offspring of his original subjects."_

"_You're saying…that all the kids here are children of the people from your time?"_

"_Exactly," Renee nods earnestly. "You understand the implications."_

"_Dr. Marcus let you escape."_

_A single nod._

"_He threw certain pairs together in the hopes that you would-_

"_Have children, yes."_

"_And you think he's trying to do that now?"_

_Renee nods again. "I always thought so. We're so much more than human, with so many more capabilities. Marcus has always wanted those powers. He used to lecture, rave, on it for days. I don't know what he plans to do with the race, though. Our people were never designed to take over the world."_

_A lump of grass falls from my hand and I stare at it, not even aware that I had picked the ground beside my knee bald. "Our people?"_

"_Yes. The ancient witches and their dragons-"_

"_The dragons are the alpha males, right?"_

_Renee smiles and pats my hand. "You are so bright, Bella. Yes. The alpha males or dragons have never been as strong as their female counterparts. Somewhere in evolution, a select few humans evolved their extrasensory abilities and tapped into the natural energy of the planet – the magnetic field, like the rainbow motes."_

_Is that what they were? I watch as one of the motes fireworks again, showing a picture memory of a handsome man about Renee's age with dark hair and eyes and a wide, easy smile._

_I know him immediately to be my father._

_I turn my eyes away, sad, and look at Renee, demanding that she tell me more._

_She sighs. "These evolved people called themselves witches and, even from the most ancient, peaceful times, they vowed to protect the lives of good humans and the planet from evil thoughts and actions," Renee laughs a little bit. "I suppose that's a very dramatic way of putting it, but it's true. Our ancestors wanted to reserve the purity around them. For several centuries, I guess they did. But eventually, the powers dwindled between the generations as human blood was introduced into the bloodlines."_

"_But then, witches started popping up randomly?"_

_Renee squints. "I'm not sure, actually. I haven't found anything in the Phantasm that reveals why our people flourished again. Maybe because of other people like Marcus? Our family, especially, came back strong, even diluted with human blood."_

"_What do you mean?"_

_Renee sits back, looking up at the slightly darker twilight sky. "I don't have much time. You'll need to go soon."_

"_Tell me anyway."_

_She smiles. "Our family has always been the keepers of the Phantasm. It's afforded us more power, I think."_

"_Which is why I'm considered an alpha witch, too…" I say slowly._

"_I would think so," Renee answers, her voice fading out._

_She smiles at me one last time before the Phantasm turns black around me._

Izzy isn't in the forefront of my mind when I wake – I think she's sort of reeling from all the information we learned in the Phantasm.

The relationship between Edward and Dr. Marcus that neither seemed privy to.

Felix and Chelsea's story.

My own mother's story.

And how both of my parents died.

And, on top of all that, the history behind the witches.

_It's really a lot to take in._

I sit up in bed, disgusted with the feel of cold sweat on the back of my neck and torn by the hunger in my stomach. I can't tell what time it is by looking outside but it feels early; both Alice and Rosalie are asleep.

I take the opportunity to ignore my stomach because I simply wasn't brave enough to go outside of the room by myself – instead, I move over to the armoire quietly.

_The blue one,_ Izzy demands.

I shrug, really wanting to fight with her over it, but giving up quickly.

It's not like my options were vast.

I take my time in the shower, then I take my time braiding my long hair into a fishtail braid, making the sections as small as possible just to waste time. It occurs to me as I'm braiding that this was the hairstyle Edward first saw me in.

I try not to read too much into it.

By the time I am done, Rosalie is up, poking Alice in the shoulder. She gives me a wary look and I smile weakly. "I'm Bella, I promise."

"Thank God," she says. "The other one is insane!"

_I heard that, Barbie._

Alice groans, rolling over and flashing her eyes at me. "I had the weirdest dream."

My brows raise.

I don't think she's talking about the Phantasm but…

"I felt like I was…being pulled somewhere far away against my will-"

"Like you were being summoned," I finish, furrowing my brows.

Could Renee have be trying to summon Alice?

I hope so. Having someone else explain the Phantasm would me so much easier.

"How did you know?"

"Yeah," Rosalie says slowly. "How _did_ you know?"

And then, without any preamble, I spill everything I learned a few hours ago – it kind of spews from my mouth like word vomit and I kind of feel like I may have forgotten to breathe but once I'm done and they're silent, it's too late to take any of it back.

And I don't want to.

I'm so glad it's off my chest.

Alice, on the other hand, looks stricken. "Are you telling me Dr. Marcus is my _grandfather?"_

I nod once.

It's all I can do.

"He forced himself on my grandma and…then my mother was born? And now I'm here, just like Grandma Heidi, and…Bella, this is just too much."

I'm silent because I don't know what to do.

Not even Izzy has an answer.

"Jesus," Rosalie sighs, weakly sitting on the bed.

We seem to sit in silence and I wonder if it's the information that makes us quiet or the place itself.

Maybe places like this have that kind of effect on people.

After a while, Rosalie takes a shower, followed by Alice and then more waiting.

We don't know what to do.

Angela had told us last night before she left that Mondays were all about routine – every kid in this place waits in the rooms until one of the staff comes to "check up" on them.

And so, we wait.

I think it must be a silent agreement to kind of just go with everything around here until we can figure out how to get out. If that means waiting for hours to get out of the room, then so be it.

_Amen. Stay strong, Bella. And all of that other shit._

_You're so cheery. It's hard to believe I actually missed you._

_Please. You wouldn't know what to do without me!_

I don't bother telling her it's true – Izzy knows I would be totally lost and spineless without her confidence constantly weighing in the back of my mind.

The knob turns suddenly with three distinct raps of knuckles against wood and Kate of all people pokes her head in.

She's gotten a haircut and her honey blond hair is almost a pixie cut – it makes her eyes huge. She smiles. "Hello, girls. How are we doing today?"

Alice looks lost, unable to answer, and I can't even formulate a response. But Rosalie is more than happy to be _our_ backbone; the girl hardly seems to have an ounce of self-preservation. "We're starving, actually. Anything to eat around here?"

Kate winks. "Chefs are in the kitchen as we speak," she says, stepping into the room. She leaves the door open as she sits on one of the mint and cream chairs. "So, is everyone settled in?"

We nod.

We're as settled as we're going to get.

"Great. And, have there been any issues with gifts? Allergies?"

_Should we bring up the fact that we can't get anything from touch?_

_No. Fuck it, we're keeping that to ourselves for now. Maybe Renee can help us get around it._

Again, in unison, we shake our heads.

Kate stands, clapping her hands once as she opens the door wider, gesturing out into the hall where several other girls are meandering out towards the kitchen. "Then by all means, have breakfast! Meeting in the foyer in half an hour!"

In truth, I am very hungry and though I shy away from the rich sausage and eggs, I do manage to eat a perfect blueberry whole grain muffin. In the back of my mind, I thought I would taste something a little off in the food, like I did with the soup, but everything seemed fine, even the extra tangy orange juice.

As I eat, I feel eyes on me and I look up, half-expecting James to be leering at me.

But it's Edward who stares, not blinking, at me, his brows furrowed and his usual Mohawk gone, replaced by untamable locks of hair.

_What could be possibly be thinking?_

_Don't know. Don't care. He's not ours at the moment._

I sigh. _Izzy, even if he's not ours now, we was and he will be again. That, I'm sure of._

I look away from Edward, pained by the tight feeling in my chest as I remember the story about Renee and Charles – would that be my fate, too?

I hoped not.

_We want to live and get the fuck out of this place._

_Agreed._

After all of us teenagers and, sadly, pre-teens, have eaten, we move into the large foyer. It's interesting to see all the different races, shapes and genders mingling together but I guess we've all been drawn together in some way. I do see Nicole smiling widely under Seth's protective arm and I have a feeling that if they can find some happiness in this place, then certainly I can, too.

At the front of the room, there is a sharp clap and all of us look at Carmen and her bright, robotic smile.

"Hello, children! Good morning! It's Monday and you know what that means."

I look at Alice with wide eyes and she exchanges a heavy look with Rosalie – because the cheer in Carmen's voice paired with her words does not bode well for any of us, it seems.

"It's Skills Day! Everyone, grab your coats and head outside. Go, go, go."

Miraculously, even though some protests about the cold weather pepper the room, everyone dons their coats and heavy snow shoes and goes out to the back yard. My own coat is a heavy pea-coat in a pretty lilac and my shoes are a pristine light grey. I feel warm when we go outside, even though I find myself standing near the back where the wind is the most front, Carmen is projecting her voice again, with Kate by her side taking meticulous notes. "Can I have all the new arrivals up front, please?"

There's no way we can protest so all six of us move forward, pushing through huddled bodies.I end up standing between Alice and Edward, who actually steps slightly in front of me.

I don't even think he's aware of it, though I vehemently hope he is.

Carmen calls forward a boy with bright red hair and immediately, my stomach drops. There's a certain glint in his eyes and I remember seeing him with James. I suddenly had the distinct notion that Skills Day was more about initiation than anything else.

Carmen's eyes connect with mine and she smiles brightly again. "Bella, you're first. Stand right here," she says, pulling my hand so that I'm standing in front of the redheaded boy.

And then, suddenly, fire erupts on his palms and it's only Carmen's hard hands on my shoulders keeping me still.

I can almost feel the pain of fire burning my flesh as the flames leap around his palms and I close my eyes, waiting to feel it. Only, I never do.

Instead, I hear an agonized masculine howl, a collective gasp and Edward's voice in my ear. "_It's you_."

* * *

**A/N: So, my real life has been kind of hectic. I had training for my job literally all of last week and I was only home _and_ awake for three hours – thus, no writing. Did I mention that I also started my first semester of online college last week, too? So, the time that I was on the computer was for class – again, no writing. And then, this week (Monday) I'm fully rested and rearing to go pound out this chapter and my computer crashes – again. Did I piss off the Writing Gods? **

**Nevertheless, here is the chapter my lovely, patient, awesome Rioteers who hopefully didn't forget about Mohawkward!**

**For reviews:**

**solidae26 – Double Yay! With a shot of "Oh, Damn!"**

**zpower21 – But bumpy is good, right?**

**Tfotwilight – Hmmm…how about now?**

**Twivampchick – Did I answer your question? ;) Damn those psychic/witches who cleanse the energy off objects! *cough*Kate*cough***

**yagalinus0420 – Welcome new Rioteer! I love new readers – they haven't been disillusioned by my wacky schedule yet! Lol**

**SandPrincess13 – Another Welcome! Hello! What's your favorite ice cream?!**

**Kimmie41 – A very short EPOV, just for you! **

**PanteraFenix Negra – Ahh, maybe not so fast lol Sorry, sorry!**

**Dinotopian – James. Grade A buttwipe!**

**PatchsFallenAngel – HA! What does the boyfriend say to that? "Oh, babe, I feel the same way – but I can't hit you. I'll settle for an ass-slap, though!" lol**

**lovestwilight2010 – You're amazing!**

**cullen freak8888 – Oh, my God. made me laugh until I cried. **

**Zozotheterrible – I loved your review! So excited! Awesomesauce! ;)**

**vampyregirl86 – the way I see it, in my universe, witches and psychics are the same thing. At least, in this story lol Hopefully this chapter helped clear some stuff up!**

**Krystalwinds1990 – Not surprised?! You must be one of those…mindreaders!**

**james3142 – Babe, I love how you quote the chapter then get all pissed about what he or she says lol It's like…you're in my mind. Hell, I wanted to punch Edward last chapter and _I'm the one who made him that way!_**

**SrslyGiGi – Meanypoopoohead or not, Edward is always the hottest of the hot!**

**CdrIvanova - ;) Right? I'm blowing your mind!**

**Vikilover – Hmmm….Shall Jasper be an alpha? The world may never know!**

**Love M Go Blue – Oh, my God! You're review was so detailed! I'm convinced you're in my head. Pssst. Shoo lol Let me tell the story! JK I want more of those detailed reviews! I demand them! ;)**

**Debslmac - :D**

**BMSCullen – Nope! No wolves in this story ;)**

**LunaDiSangue85 – Oh, God lol Jerkob? Awesome. Really, truly awesome lol Keep score, please! I think, though, Edward/Assward gets a point!**

**YesMyRealNameIsBella – I think you're more disappointed in Edward than I was lol**

**mamacat20 – He really is hot in any situation, huh? Le Sigh.**

**Valentine Rain – Hmmm, good question. No, Rose can't heal brain traumas yet – and, anyway, I don't think Assholeward would let her get that close lol**

**Kaygou – Oh, does he feel protective of her ;)**

**Twilight Rocker 12 – Unfortunately, Nicole doesn't seem to share your evilness! Lol I got your other reviews! I was like, damn, she's awesome!**

**And special shout out to the first review of the last chapter, Nalia-R – He only forgot the last few months. He remembers everything else!**

**Also, Psionics was nominated for TopTenCompletedFicsForAugust 2012. Vote for me?**

**www . twifanfictionrecs . com**

**Ohh and thank you to Le Crepuscule who, because she loves seeing things so much, reminded me what polyvor is! So, if you want to check out some visual things, go to the blog! ;)**

** raecupcakeriot . blogspot . com **

**And that is all. As always, be brutally honest. I can take it (just don't rail on me about updating! Lol).**

**~cupcakeriot**


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight! I promise! I swear! Don't mob me!**

* * *

**Chapter Four**

"_Don't leave me alone,  
'Cause I barely see at all.  
Don't leave me alone.  
I'm falling in the black,  
Slipping through the cracks,  
Falling to the depths, can I ever go back?  
Dreaming of the way it used to be,  
Can you hear me?"_

_~ Skillet_

"Brilliant!"

All eyes turn to Carmen, who is grinning gleefully, her hands clasped together and an almost wistful expression in her eyes. The wind ruffled her perfect bob but she doesn't seem effected by the cold. "Oh, this is just brilliant," she says to herself – but we all hear her.

My mind is trying to play catch up – Izzy is trying to keep up with what's happening _now_. We're pulled in two directions and it makes my head pound with the effort.

I look down.

It all happened so fast – too fast. I'd stepped forward around Edward and Alice and I knew they were a few feet behind me. And then, that redheaded pyro stepped out and he was going to burn me at Carmen's direction.

But I wasn't touched.

Edward jumped – no, he used his apportation – in front of me, blocking the fire and getting himself hurt in the process.

My eyes focus and I notice strong arms – _his arms _– tight around my waist, the tendons in his hands tense and his knuckles white. I'm facing away from Carmen now and I know, by instinct, that Edward's back took the brunt of the fire.

His breath is heavy in my ear and he is leaning much of his weight against me – but I keep hearing his words, over and over again.

"_It's you."_

_ "It's you."_

_ "It's you."_

Tears well in the corner of my eyes when I see his hands twitching and I feel this chest heaving against my back. "Are you okay?"

"Edward?" I whimper – this is not how I wanted him to remember me.

Not like this.

Not injured.

It's not fair.

_Pull yourself together. Pay attention._

Edward groans lightly and then it seems like the whole world explodes with noise – some clapping, some protests, some outrage and louder than everything, Carmen. "This is simply marvelous! The first alpha pair, children!"

_It was on purpose? They hurt him on purpose._

_ Sick bastards._

_ Izzy, I don't know if I can deal with this-_

_ You will. You have to._

_ You can't alter-_

_ Not now. _

I hear footsteps in the snow, rushing, and suddenly Alice is beside me, anxiously touching Edward's arm. "Brother?"

Edward makes a painful sound in response and my legs shake from holding up his nearly dead weight.

But he's breathing.

"Bella?" he rasps, managing to squeeze me tighter.

I nod, soundlessly sobbing.

_He remembers. I just know he remembers._

Another pair of boots crunching the thin layer of snow and then Carmen's too-cheerful voice. "It has all worked out perfectly. Children, let's get this alpha to the infirmary," she says, smiling at Emmett and Jasper who look stricken and confused.

The other teenagers watch in silence as we maneuver Edward's arms over Emmett and Jasper's shoulders. Alice and I ghost along beside them, warily watching Edward's face for any sign of pain as neither of us can bear to look at his back. Rosalie pulls up the rear, glaring hatefully between Carmen and the redheaded pyro.

As we pass, a tall boy with coffee skin nods once at me. "He'll be okay."

Somehow, though I'm in a daze of looking at my feet and at Edward's face, we make it to the second floor infirmary that we didn't even know existed. A woman dressed in dark blue scrubs with caramel hair greets us worriedly.

"I'm Esme, the healer here. I take it he was…initiated?"

Jasper scoffs, laying Edward down on his stomach. "Fuck that. It's not initiation."

Emmett silently agrees, glancing out the windows.

Esme sighs and I notice how young she is – barely older than us by a few years, maybe twenty-one. She takes a pair of scissors from a drawer and carefully cuts Edward's coat and shirt off his back.

I gasp and look away.

_There's no describing how horrible it looks._

Izzy is observing through sound and a weak frame of mind – she's absolutely panicking on the inside, though she refuses to show it.

One of us has to be in control of our emotions.

Izzy gladly takes that job if the tradeoff is not having to alter in this situation.

Injuries just aren't her thing.

Alice starts crying and Rosalie moves to comfort her; I can't move. I'm frozen by Edward's bedside, keeping my gaze steady on his large, pale hand.

I reach out and stroke his finger, pleased by the rough warmth I find there.

He doesn't respond but I think he passed out from the pain.

I'm glad for that.

Esme sighs sadly, clicking her tongue as she carefully inspects the large injury in the middle of Edward's back. "This is one of the worst ones," she says to herself. "It will require a few healing sessions-"

"Healing sessions?" Emmett questions, curiosity blooming in his voice. I knew it; he's smarter than we give him credit for.

"I'm a psychic healer," Esme replies. "A witch healer-"

"So it's all true?" Jasper demands. "We're witches?"

Esme laughs a bit, taking off her gloves. "I didn't believe it at first, either. But, yes. Witches."

"Are you…are you here willingly?" Alice whispers.

Esme is silent and I think we all know the answer.

_How long has she been here?_

_ I don't give two shits, as long as she makes Edward wake up._

_ Not lover boy?_

_ Shut up. I'm feeling sentimental. _

After a beat of silence, Esme hums tunelessly under her breath, rubbing her hands together – my eyes are drawn to the warm orange tint of her palms, almost like a flame but softer and lighter and just resting on the surface of her skin.

Watching her hands, I'm able to stomach seeing Edward's back, especially as Esme's hands barely ghost over the red, blistered and charred skin. A few seconds under her hands and his skin seems to mend itself quickly, turning bright pink and smooth, like a fresh scar that mares his perfect pale back.

It's at this point I notice the tattoo – the dragon that sits on this left shoulder blade with the tail curling around his torso, disappearing under his stomach. The tattoo itself is beautiful but I can't help noticing the fact that it's a _dragon._

_ Renee said they called the alphas dragons…_

_ Coincidence. It has to be._

Esme's hands lose their glow and she takes a step back, her breathing slightly quickened.

"They called me a psychic healer," Rosalie says quietly from behind me. I turn to see her looking directly at Esme. "Teach me."

Esme looks up, her brows high on her forehead.

Even Jasper – whose face is normally either impassive or mirthful – looks surprised.

Rosalie tilts her chin up. "He's important. We need Edward. I'm a psychic healer, so I should be able to do what you do. Teach me."

"Now?"

"The sooner he's recovered, the better," Rosalie says firmly.

_Huh. Maybe she's not a Barbie after all._

Esme doesn't waste anytime; she quickly sits Rosalie on the other side of Edward's body so that there is a healer on either side of him and shows Rosalie how to bring up her, well, her healing light. There's no other way to describe the pink tinted glow that covers Rosalie's hands.

Together, they pass their glowing hands over Edward's back, slowly lowering their palms on each circuit until they are firmly pressing their hands into his skin – it almost looks like they are wiping away the pink scar skin, revealing perfect pale flesh. During the entire ten minuet process, Edward doesn't stir; he remains unmoving, breathing deeply, though the sweat that had begun to build on his body disappears.

Rosalie sits back, her face flushed from exertion.

Esme smiles. "He's all better, now. It would have taken me a week to do that myself."

Rosalie smiles. "I'm just…glad I can offer something to this group."

"You offer so much more than that, Rosie," Emmett whispers.

They exchange a heavy look and my heart flutters because, as snobby as Rosalie can sometimes be, she's so utterly real that Emmett is her genuine perfect match.

In the back of my mind, I briefly wonder if their attraction is all part of what Dr. Marcus has been planning since our parents' time.

But I refuse to believe that my own connection with Edward has anything to do with that history.

It's just not possible.

_Even though it's very fucking possible?_

_ We're so much more than all that._

Emmett draws Rosalie to him and I hear him say something about getting her a drink in the kitchen; they disappear down the hallway, hands clasped.

Almost at the same time, two people enter the room – one is Carmen, who I dread seeing. The other is a man not much older than Esme wearing a crisp white lab coat with startling white-blonde hair and bright blue eyes. There's even a stethoscope around his neck.

"Carlisle," Esme says, greeting him.

Carlisle smiles warmly. "Esme."

They share a look that confuses me – friendly on the surface, attraction hidden just beneath, but a sort of intelligent, stoic wisdom underneath. I immediately wonder what they know – or what they're planning.

Alice, Jasper and I are standing near the wall beside Edward's bed; Jasper is tense, glaring at Carmen, who hardly notices.

Carmen looks at Edward and claps. "Oh, Esme! He looks so healthy!"

I see Esme's jaw twitch before she smiles. "As a horse."

"You've done a marvelous job."

Esme's eyes dart to Carlisle's. "Thank you, ma'am."

Carmen waves off the title. "You know to call me Carmen, dear," she says, suddenly sounding motherly even though she's hardly more than ten years older than Esme.

I'm so confused watching this power play – Esme and Carlisle seem to be on the same team and Carmen sort of seems to realize this, but she's also blatantly ignoring it, too.

_What the fuck is going on?_

_ I wish I knew. God, do I wish I knew._

"Well, I just came to check on our newest alpha," Carmen continues, smiling that robotic bright smile. Her eyes turn and rivet on me. "And his little alpha witch!"

I furrow my brows, wanting to open my mouth and demand why she's looking at me like I hold the keys to the universe – and why she's suddenly made a relationship between me and Edward, calling me _his_.

_For some reason, that bothers me, even though I am his._

_ It's because Carmen's a nut-job. Whatever she's saying comes with a price._

Carmen winks at me and Carlisle shifts, stepping closer to Edward, his eyes carefully inspecting his back as Carmen continues talking. "You'll be moving in with your alpha as soon as Carlisle releases him," she tells me.

Suddenly, my mind flashes to my time in the Phantasm earlier – they put Charles and Renee in the same room.

_"Our love was inevitable."_

And then _I _came along.

_What the fuck? Are they…?_

_ It would seem like it…_

_ Fucking Christ._

Esme nods at me slowly from behind Carmen's back and I realize again that there are so many different things taking place in this room.

So, I nod at Carmen, mimicking Esme – because I have no idea what's going on and it's the only thing I _can_ do.

And Carmen smiles, winking at me again and leaving the room.

A collective sigh fills the room when she's gone.

"Thank fucking Jesus," Jasper says. "That lady gives me the creeps."

Even though I completely agree with Jasper, I ignore him, looking at Esme with beseeching eyes. "Is he really okay?"

"Oh, of course. Esme is very good at what she does," Carlisle says.

I nod, instantly believing him. "Why am I being put in a room with Edward?" I whisper, half-afraid of the answer.

Again, Esme and Carlisle exchange a look that somehow puts me on edge and at ease at the same time.

Carlisle clears his throat. "They announced that they would begin pairing off the alphas and betas this week," he says.

"And how do you know? What do you do?" Jasper demands, his entire body tense again.

I was beginning to notice that Jasper truly did have a problem with authority.

Carlisle leans against one of the pristine white counters in the room, crossing his legs in front of him. He looks much older than mid-twenties all the sudden – stress and the weight of the world obviously on his shoulders.

"I'm a psychokinetic," Carlisle says. "With a specialty in chemicals. I'm sort of like the scientist here."

Jasper scoffs. "Okay, Mad Scientist, then care to explain what the fuck is going on?"

Carlisle's shoulders drop and he looks once at Edward. He sighs. "The short story is that I was born to a poor family who somehow managed to get me through high school at twelve and Stanford at fourteen. I graduated with a job in the government as the head chemist of several projects. When I was twenty, I met Esme," he says, smiling at her with endearment that spoke nothing of the love that was clear in his voice. "We got pregnant. And…we lost the child. Somehow, Esme's parents found out about the miscarriage and she was sent away to a boarding school in South Carolina. I was so distraught. And, during that time, Denali came to me and offered me something I couldn't refuse – to get Esme back. All I had to do was come work for them. So, I did. It wasn't until a year later that I realized they only wanted me for the heritage I discovered and for what Esme could do. We were the first recruits," he says sadly, grasping her hand tightly. "I regret it to this day."

Esme carefully touches his cheek. "No regrets," she says firmly, turning to us. "Once we figured out what Denali was really up to, we knew we had to stop it."

My stomach, which had dropped during the story, fluttered again.

_They wanted to stop this, too._

_ Good. We need all the help we can fucking get._

Jasper's voice is still hard. "So, what? You're part of the board or something?"

"Unofficially. I know things that most people don't, but I'm not involved in the decision making."

Jasper nods once. "When will he wake up?"

Esme looks thoughtful. "Soon, I would think. You kids might as well go get something to eat or take a nap."

Carlisle nods in agreement and smiles at Esme. "I have to get back to the lab. I only came with Carmen when I heard about what happened." He kisses her cheek and hurries out the door.

Jasper grabs Alice's hand and pulls her towards the hall. "Let's get you something to eat, okay?"

Reluctantly, Alice nods.

Esme turns to me with a raised brow. "You're not going?"

I let my eyes linger on Edward. "I can't," I whisper.

Knowingly, Esme smiles and slowly backs out of the room. "I'll be back, then, to check up on him."

And then, she's gone and the door is closed and all that is left is Edward's steady breathing and the chaos of catch-up in my mind.

_God, what has happened this day?_

_ Well, we woke up-_

_ Izzy! Really? Can we have a serious moment?_

Izzy scoffs. _Princess, I'm serious all the time. I'm seriously hating these stupid dresses. I'm seriously thinking Denali is nuts. And I'm seriously waiting for lover boy to wake up so you can kiss an apology out of his sorry ass, because we totally deserve it after what he said the other day._

_ You're impossible._

_ I'm right._

I move to sit down on a stiff white chair beside Edward's little hospital cot, letting myself slouch, my shoulders falling forward as I look around the little room.

It's actually not that little – it's quite spacious, really, an open concept room with narrow double doors in the middle that leads out into the hallway. Everything in this room is either white or silver, including the bedding, the floors, the walls, the counters, the containers of sterile needles, cotton balls and band-aids. Half of the room is devoted to all sorts of new monitors for the heart along with a wide white set of cabinets that I assume are filled with all sorts of medical supplies – though why anyone would need any medical supplies with Esme around, I'll never know. The other half of the room is dedicated two three standard issue hospital cots and sheer white privacy curtains.

As I'm staring at the curtains, I realize how much the white walls are getting to me – I feel cold in my soul because of this sterile room.

Not hesitating, I reach up and pull the privacy curtain around Edward's bed, closing us off from the narrow windows and the silence of the hallway.

_That feels better but I won't know how to feel until he wakes up._

_ He remembers, Bella._

_ "It's you."_

I sigh, closing my eyes for a moment.

And then, I hear the best sound in the world – the one I had been anxiously anticipating.

Edward's tired groan.

It's the one he makes when he's waking up because he wants to sleep more.

I know it well.

Luckily for me, his head is turned towards my chair; I think the first thing he sees when he blinks open his eyes are my bare knees.

His pupil is much larger than it normally is, but I attribute it to lingering pain and just waking up.

He licks his lips.

Blinks again.

Focuses his eyes up at me, the brilliant color of his iris somewhere between blue and green.

"Bella."

And then, I'm crying, my hands covering my mouth as his hand moves to my knee, soothing me softly.

I move, kneeling down beside him, reaching my arm over his shoulder and burying my face in the crook of his neck.

"Shh, sweetheart, it's okay. I'm okay," he murmurs, moving his arm to lock around my waist.

Nothing about our position is comfortable but I don't care.

Nothing matters more in this moment than his arm around me.

_He remembers. God, he remembers._

I cry for a while, unable to stop myself.

Edward let's me, eventually moving so that he is propped up on the fluffy pillows, holding me against his strong, broad chest.

I feel like he's grown stronger since the last time he held me – and then, I remember it must have something to do with whatever they injected us with in the steel room in Albany.

As soon as the thought enters my mind, it flees and I focus on the feeling of his warm hand rubbing my back, one long circuit from the back of my neck to the bottom of my spine and back.

_He feels so fucking good._

_ He always has._

_ And he remembers. It's good to have lover boy back._

I press my lips to his neck.

And then, I do it again.

And again, slower, letting my mouth open against his skin.

I feel him swallow, his throat bobbing underneath my skin while his hand stops moving, pulling me to him.

I kiss him with my open mouth, tasting him, moving down his neck to his shoulder and then to his Adam's apple.

Edward tilts his head back, giving me room to do as I please and I take advantage, turning my body even further into him and moving my mouth to his chin, carefully kissing each inch of his jaw.

Gently, he turns his head to me, meeting my lips softly.

_I've missed him._

_ I think we've missed all of him, Bella._

His hand moves to the back of my neck, tilting my head so that he can fully taste my mouth.

We kiss until we can't breathe.

It's like saying hello.

He rests his forehead against mine, kissing my nose once, his eyes locked with mine.

"I missed you," I whisper.

Edward smiles a tiny bit. "You know? I missed you, too. I just…didn't understand it."

"So, you remember losing your memory?" I ask, frowning at how the question sounded – so odd.

"Yes," he sighs, his breath washing over me. "I remember thinking you were beautiful, too. Because you are."

My face heats up and I kiss him softly.

"But I also remember wanting to kick James's ass for touching you. And I remember watching you this morning," he says, pausing. "I also remember that pyro guy getting ready to burn you and only being able to think, _not her._"

I close my eyes. "You got hurt because of me."

"And I would do it again, sweetheart."

Tears fill my eyes again as I remember Charles and Renee – he got himself killed for her, for my mother, and she still died. I shake my head. "Don't say that."

"Why not?"

I'm silent.

"Sweetheart, talk to me."

I bite my lips.

_We have to tell him sometime. Might as well get this shit over with._

And so, I tell him – everything about the Phantasm and about Carlisle and Esme.

About his grandmother.

And how Dr. Marcus is apparently his grandfather, to which he says, "You've got to be fucking with me."

I shake my head. "I wish I was."

"I'm related to that creepy fucker?"

He tilts his head up to the ceiling, frowning.

By now, we've moved to laying down on the narrow cot, my head on his chest and his arms tight around me.

"Well," he says after a moment. "That's a complication we didn't anticipate."

I nod, silent.

"But it doesn't change anything."

"It doesn't?"

With a hard jaw, he shakes his head, resolute. "Not at all. We will be getting out of here. Denali, Carmen, they just gave us an opportunity to plan without realizing it. We'll be sharing a room, sweetheart. We'll be able to plan and protect each other better."

I smile a bit, because I hadn't thought of it that way.

And then, I frown. "But they're trying to breed us."

Edward laughs, his hand moving down to my hip and then slinking from my thigh to my knee, pulling my leg to hitch over his narrow hips. "You don't want me?"

My face hot and my heart pounding, I bite my lip. "I didn't say that," I whisper, letting my hand slide over his chest so I can feel _his_ heartbeat.

Edward's hand slowly travels from my knee to my backside, where he squeezes me softly. "Good. Because, not all of our time can be spent planning, you know?"

"Oh, it can't?"

He smirks. "If we plan all the time, we'll get burnt out and then our plan will never work."

He leans down to kiss me sweetly, pulling back with a playful wink.

"Of course," I reply breathlessly, my mind whirring with images of our bodies pressed together, courtesy of Izzy.

Edward yawns and I move my leg off him, sitting up on the edge of the cot. "You need to sleep," I say.

"I'm fine."

"Sleep," I whisper, kissing the corner of his mouth. "You need to rest to heal."

He rolls his eyes but eventually agrees, his breathing becoming slow in just a few moments.

I sit, watching him, for a while.

I can't take my eyes off him.

Izzy can't, either.

Sometime later, Alice shuffles into the room, pushing aside the curtain to stare at her brother sleeping on his back. "He woke up?"

I smile, pushing stray hair off my face and behind my ears. "He's good as new. And he remembers."

Alice smiles, a genuine one, before her expression becomes grave and thoughtful.

Alice turns towards me, looking away from her brother with large, flat eyes. "You know what's really odd, Bella?"

I meet her gaze. "What?"

"If your mother was nineteen when she died, after she had you, and _my_ mother was just _born_ not soon after…wouldn't that make you my mother's age?"

My back tenses, my spine straight and stiff.

_Oh, God. How did we miss that before?_

_ I'm…not sure. We should be in our thirties, then?_

_ Yeah. Something's not right here, Izzy._

_ You can say that shit again._

* * *

**A/N: So, my come-back is super strong ;) HE REMEMBERS! And, they made out soo…yay!**

**Reviews:**

**Krystalwinds1990 – HE REMEMBERS!**

**SrslyGiGi – Hmm…Does Marcus know? Good question! I haven't decided! Lol**

**Love M Go Blue – Ha! Didn't mean to pressure you lol Yes, Marcus want's everyone to have popsicle babies ;) Nah, I just….didn't think about it when I was writing. As for James, his parents aren't important. He's just…a creepy guy!**

**Twilight Rocker 12 – Evil evilness? You don't say? Lol Of course you're awesome!**

**Twivampchick – Oh, my God did your review make me blush redder than a tomato! Thank you thank you thank you! I'm so happy to have you as a Rioteer!**

**CdrIvanova – I typed out this chapter before I got busy, so I win on life, right? Lol**

**LunaDiSangue85 – Oh, snap. You're the only one who caught it lol I have a very good explanation!**

**Dinotopian- Thank you!**

**james3142 – Luff back! ;)**

**Kimmie41 – Oh, do share the theories! Sorry, no EPOV again! He just had to be sleeping all chapter long, the lazy boy! Lol**

**Midnight Angels Say GoodNight – Oh yeah, they have to uhmmmm reacquaint themselves? lol**

**solidae26 – Sadly, there was no face breaking!**

**Vikilover – So many great questions that I don't have answers to lol Uh, let's see…Felix is kind of a psycho, so he just killed them to kill them…Marcus is a devious, smart man so the chances are he _does_ know, even though I haven't decided yet…And why take Bella? That, I simply cannot tell you…yet lol**

**Dreamzuvedward – pssh, yeah lol I had to give Aro a break . Poor guy is gonna catch some major shit in the next two stories I'm writing lol**

**YesMyRealNameIsBella – Oh, my God lol Should I just updates on the weekend for you? You gotta be rested and stuff for school, girl!**

**Kaygou – Did you know I kind of love you? Lol "Update and I don't care how long it takes!"**

**Welcome2MyWorldxoxo – Annnnd….there was the next chapter!**

**Debslmac – Loving it, too! :D**

**And to the first review of the last chapter, an extra special shout out to Valentine Rain – Lol I'm sorry! I had to end it there!  
**

**Well, Rioteers, I'm looking forward to some Coffee Heath Bar Crunch and the Emmy's tomorrow night, Sunday September 23, 2012 at 8 PM on ABC (yes, dears, I did just advertise for the Emmy's lol It's awards season and that means pretty clothes!)**

**As always, be brutally honest. I can take it.**

**~cupcakeriot**


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: Don't own it! Don't want to! I do want a freakin' cupcake, though!**

* * *

**Chapter Five**

"_Wait, keep me in your skin,  
keep me in your chest.  
I'll wait for it to start,  
I'll wait for it to end.  
Keep me on my toes,  
keep me in the know."_

_~You Me At Six_

_ "Did you lie to me?"_

_ Renee blinks wide eyes at me, slowing shaking her head. "What do you mean?"_

_ I cross my arms, feeling an awful lot like Izzy as I stand smack dab in the middle of the Phantasm, ignoring the pretty motes floating through the air. I shrug. "Did you lie to me? About when I was born?"_

_ A knowing look flashes across her face as it becomes immobile, impassive. "No, I didn't lie."_

_ "That was like, thirty years ago," I tell her._

_ I don't bother to mention that I should be almost a year older than Heidi's daughter; I can tell Renee knows._

_ She just didn't bother to tell me._

_ She had to have known the math would eventually get back to me, though._

_ It's kind of an obvious thing._

_ "Yes, it was," she says. _

_ We stare at each other for a moment before I just can't take the silence. "Why am I seventeen?" I demand, throwing my hands in the air in frustration._

_ Renee simply swings slowly, watching me with wise eyes and a slightly sullen mouth. "That is a very good question."_

_ "Is it a question you have the answer to, Mother?"_

_ Renee looks down. "I told you that Chelsea was very young, yes?"_

_ I nod._

_ "I did not tell you how young," she whispers, her brows furrowing. "She was hardly ten at the time and Marcus just…gave you to her."_

_ I do a quick count in my mind, cropping up Chelsea's face and realizing that ten plus thirty puts Chelsea's age right around forty – which is exactly right._

_ I frown._

_ "That hardly explains anything about_ my_ age."_

_ Renee sighs, kicking her feet and it hits me that she's just nineteen, even if she is my mother and should be pushing forty by now – but she's stuck, just two years older than I am._

_ I let my mind wander while Renee seems to collect her thoughts – I'd purposefully closed my eyes and thought about the Phantasm not five minuets after Alice came back to the infirmary with her solemn logic. She agreed to watch over Edward and make sure nothing woke me. I wasn't sure if I was actually sleeping, though. _

_ It didn't feel like it._

_ Renee sighs again. "I wasn't aware of Chelsea's gift until after I died," she says, pushing her legs in the air to swing higher, like she's trying to get away from a memory. "I'd always thought that she was a healer of some sort, as she seemed the type to be. Imagine my shock when, from the Phantasm, I watch as she lets you age to two years old, under Marcus' protection from Felix and the rest of the world, only to start chanting around you every night. I can't describe how scared I was, watching this barely twelve year old girl murmuring incantations and waving her hands at you, every night at midnight while you were sleeping. And then, my horror when you visibly stopped aging for years and years and years until, one day, it seemed like she wanted you to grow. She just stopped chanting. And then Felix came back and he did those terrible things to you and I could only watch as my daughter, my only living part of myself, seemed to split into two people."_

_ Renee stops, her swinging fading until she is still, staring at me silently while I try to wrap my head around what she just told me. _

_ "I don't know if your personalities are because of Chelsea or Felix anymore," she says sadly. "One stopped you from aging and the other took away the innocence of your childhood. Both are monsters, even if Chelsea did put a stop to Felix's horrible urges."_

_ I think about Chelsea's heavy drinking and her slurred words and wonder if, maybe, she was drinking for more guilt than I originally thought._

_ But, stopping me from aging for fourteen years? Maybe fifteen or sixteen years? _

_ What was the point in all that?_

_ "Why would they do that?" I wonder in a whisper._

_ Renee twists in her swing. "I've asked myself the same thing and I think it's because Marcus wants to breed stronger witches-"_

_ "Breeding? This is all because of breeding?"_

_ Renee shrugs. "I can't tell what its really all about. But he bred Charles and I and paired up the others. I don't know why he choose to stop your aging. Maybe he has another seer working for him that paired you and your love together. Maybe he just got lucky. Child, I don't have a clue but the fact is that you should be in your thirties and your not. You're in Alaska and Marcus isn't getting any younger._

_ "You can stop this," Renee says, looking me in the eye with a fierce glint._

_ I know what she's thinking._

_ I can make the her death right._

_ I can make sure the death of my own father wasn't in vain._

_ I can make sure this never happens again._

_ But there are so many things I need to learn._

_ "What can you teach me?"_

_ Renee smiles faintly. "More than Denali can. But not now. Now, you must go back to your reality and start fixing this. You don't have much time."_

I wake, eyes open blearily to the infirmary and Alice's sharp gaze on my face.

"Where did you go?"

"To the Phantasm," I tell her, glancing down at Edward and wishing I could tell how long he's been sleeping.

How long is he supposed to sleep?

Alice is silently prompting me to continue.

So I do.

Looking down at my hands, watching them twirling together, I speak. "I wasn't aging. Chelsea she…kept me as a toddler."

"Like a stasis?"

I blink at her, shrugging. "I guess. But, this isn't a sci-fi. It's my life."

Alice nods, leaning her head back. "I know. But at least we know _why_."

"I just wish we knew how to get out of here."

When Edward does wake up, he is very alert – completely unlike how he usually is when he wakes up. "I feel like I've been shocked with energy," he tells us, grinning, staring at me with barely concealed heat in his eyes.

It isn't long until Carmen is back in the room – how she knew he was awake is beyond me.

I'm exhausted.

But, she is not. She claps her hands, smiling robotically.

_It's like some switch flipped when we got here. She was never this fucking creepy._

_ I agree._

"Marvelous! Bella, dear, your stuff has already been moved to the third floor along with Edward's. Let's go, let's go! Dinner is waiting for you," she says, completely ignoring Alice.

Biting my lip, I reluctantly follow Carmen, Edward's hand heavy on the small of my back, and exchange a significant look with Alice – the next time we meet, we _will_ be planning our escape.

The room Carmen leads us to is large and rectangular, decorated in soft midnight blue fabrics and deep, dark wood furniture and silver accents. There is a too-large bed pushed up against the wall in the middle of the room, a familiar armoire, the en-suit bathroom which I suspect has all of our toiletries and a sturdy bookshelf, filled with the latest psychic study volumes.

It's fairly normal and that's probably what makes the entire set up so chilling.

"Well, children," Carmen winks, backing out of the room. "I'll just leave you two alone."

And then, she closes the door with a resolute _clang_, the high-pitched tone of electronic numbers following her exit – an indication of our high-tech imprisonment via the small keypad outside our door.

I wasn't sure it was necessary.

_Who would want to be outside, anyway?_

_ Not me, that's for damn sure._

Edward's body heat is scorching behind me, prompting me to turn and look up at his dark eyes.

I almost know what he's thinking.

We're alone.

He remembers.

And we're reunited.

But, if Dr. Marcus has brought us all here for breeding, there is something obvious that we absolutely cannot do.

I place a firm hand on his chest and shake my head. "We can't make lo-"

Edward pulls me towards his hard body, leaving no space between us. "We won't, I promise. I refuse to give into the psychopath's plan. But, there are other things…and I've fucking missed you, sweetheart."

And then, his lips on mine. Soft, firm – coaxing low moans from the depths of my chest.

And Izzy's mind melding with my own until I don't know which way is up or down.

The bed behind my knees, under my back, a pillow under my head.

Edward's body pressing down on mine.

Hips thrusting, circling, writhing.

Throaty moans and gasps.

My head thrown back as he emulates the one act we have yet to share, the steady rhythm and friction of his jeans against my underwear driving me mad.

My hands, digging into the newly healed flesh of his strong back.

His lips sucking, pulling, bruising the tender skin of my neck.

His name on my lips as I shudder under him, my hips arching against his and then his heavy groan and final, erratic thrusts against me.

We pant, breathing each other's air for several moments before Edward pulls away and visits the bathroom.

I lay on my back, Izzy slowly seeping away from my mind and into her own, with the dress around my hips, my legs spread and bent slightly, my arms over my head, palms up.

Catching my breath, I move my arms down, feeling the silky texture of the bedspread on my fingertips when it hits me –

A vision, shaky at best.

_ It's still dark and the snow outside the window is fierce._

_ But it is hot inside the room – too hot._

_ Flames lick under the door._

_ "Bella," Edward yells from the window, holding his arms out to me._

_ I grab the bedspread and roll it up, tucking it against my chest._

_ Edward's arm wrap around me and we stand at the open window._

_ We jump as the door opens, a cane slowly stuttering ahead of an old, agonized cough._

_ We do not land in the snow._

I gasp as the vision clears from my sight. "Edward!"

He's quick to exit the bathroom, eyes roving for danger. "What? What is it?"

I level him with a steady stare, a smile slowly blooming on my face as Izzy reviews the vision. "I know how we get out."

The first problem with my vision is the sheer, undeniable fact that it's dangerous. It involves uncontrollable fire and a lot of luck.

The second problem is that the vision only reveals the plan for _our_ escape.

_And that's simply not good enough._

_We need a plan for everybody-fucking-else._

_Right._

The third problem isn't so much a problem as an _issue_ of whether or not it works. All I know at the end is that we don't land in the snow.

But we've jumped out a window – where else are we supposed to land?

And lastly, the fact that the comforter is the _only_ thing in this room that I can get a read on makes both Edward and Izzy extremely nervous.

Because why only the bedspread?

Was it just something somebody missed when cleansing this place?

Or was this vision planted?

I didn't know what to think – but I did trust my talent.

When I _knew_ things, I _knew_ them.

There was no second guessing.

Eventually, Izzy bowed to this – Edward did not.

"We jump out a window and _what?_ What happens after that?" He demands, pacing, tugging at his air.

He reminds me of a caged lion.

I shrug. "I don't know. Maybe you use apportation to-"

"What about the others, then?"

"Maybe by the time this vision happens, someone else learns how to apportate or you get strong enough to take more than one person."

Edward squints at me before sitting heavily on the bed beside me. "Sweetheart, I don't like this."

I rub his back, letting my hand stray to the nape of his neck – he's so tense.

"We need to talk to the others. We need to figure out when this is supposed to happen and then we'll talk about their plan. But right now, we're the only ones on the third floor and I think that's important."

Edward sighs, scrubbing his face. "You said it was snowing."

I nod. "It was. A lot."

"So it has to be soon, then."

I glance outside the windows, watching the gentle flutters of snow.

"Yeah, it has to be soon."

For some reason, that night when I'm asleep and trying to call myself into the Phantasm, I can't get in.

Its worrisome, even in sleep.

So, I do not dream and when I wake, I feel refreshed.

Edward does, too.

He offers to join me in the shower with a wink but we both know it's too much temptation.

It feels like my body is calling to him.

The more I deny him, the more I ache.

And the ache steadily turns into a real _pain_ as our morning wears on until I'm grimacing when I'm more than three feet away from Edward.

_What is happening here?_

_I don't fucking know!_ Izzy snaps, the pain making her already challenged patience even more wary.

Eventually, Edward draws me into his arms and holds me tightly, frowning. "I want you," he says. "But not like this. Not with this pressure or this pain."

I shudder and he holds me tighter.

"What's happening to us?"

We're both so distracted that neither of us register the sound of the door being opened until a feminine throat clears behind us.

Tanya looks the same as always but my gut burns when I see her – I trusted her and I shouldn't have.

Izzy tiredly observes, trying to solve everything at once because she wants answers, now.

Tanya smiles at us.

"Hey," she says casually.

We don't respond.

How does anyone respond to that?

Tanya doesn't seem to care; she continues on in her melodic voice, looking around the room and seeing no signs of passionate destruction.

"Huh," she says, frowning at us. "I guess you two are still virgins, then?"

I can't be sure, but I think Edward flips her off.

I'm hardly paying attention as pain sears through me, ripping me up from the inside.

_Jesus fuck!_

"You know," Tanya sings, twirling her finger in her hair with an innocent smile. "The pain only gets worse the longer you avoid it."

"What the fuck are you talking about," Edward spits.

"They sent me up here to knock some sense into you two," Tanya replies. "I'm sure you both remember those injections we gave you, right?"

_Metal chairs, being tied down, needles forced into arms._

_Hell fucking yes we remember, you psycho._

"Well, our good Dr. Carlisle made those. They make you a lot stronger with the added incentive of, oh how to put this…Encouraging mating," she says with a smile.

_Are you fucking kidding me? A breeding injection?_

_Oh, my God. Oh, my God._

_Christ! Will this bullshit ever end?_

Edward's arms tense around me and he moves, angling my body away from Tanya – but he can't hide me from her eyes, which are sharp on my flushed face.

I can't help but react to the feel of his body against mine and she knows it.

"How the fuck do you know that?" Edward demands, his voice hoarse.

It hadn't escaped my notice that a certain part of his body was digging into my hip – we really had no choice in this, did we?

Tanya smiles, her grin suddenly robotic and too familiar in its creepy likeness. "I got the same injection," she says happily. "I think you know my partner, Felix, right Bella?"

I feel sick.

My throat convulses.

Tanya continues grinning.

_If that sick fuck is with her, then where is Chelsea?_

_I don't know, Izzy. But something tells me…she's not alive._

Tanya waves her fingers at us. "I wouldn't wait any longer to take her, Edward. The chemicals will start killing her."

And then, she leaves.

The door slams.

The key pad locks.

And I begin sobbing.

For what, I don't know.

A lot of it is the pain.

Some of it is from knowing Felix is here, somewhere.

And the rest is from finally understanding that I don't have a choice.

When did we ever have a choice?

I must have said this out loud because Edward coaxes my face up, his lips pressing against the tears on my cheeks. "We have a choice, Bella. It's our choice," he says. "I love you. It's our choice."

"I love you," I whisper, letting my mouth meet his.

Somehow, through the daze, we manage to take our time undressing, stealing kisses without straying too far from each other.

There's a lot of heat in the air, especially when our skin touches - it's like sparks going off and, for the first time, I feel like a witch, not a girl.

I feel natural.

I feel Izzy's mind binding with mine.

I feel the very real _magic_ in the air – because that's the only way to describe the lust and the love and the sheer, unrestrained need that calls Edward's body into mine.

It hurts for a moment, with him hovering over me, supporting his weight on his elbows.

But, that small pain passes and, with it, the large, searing pain in my body is obsolete.

We are joined in the most ancient, intimate way.

His hand moves to hold mine when he first thrusts, a slow pull out and an ever slower push in.

He's careful.

He's incredibly gentle.

I don't look away from his eyes, stunned that I can almost see his soul and I know he can see mine.

My body is responsive to his, almost on another level because when he pushes, I push back and when he pulls away, I follow – always closer, always wanting, needing, to be closer.

"I love you," I gasp when I feel my body start to, amazingly, tighten around him with the aid of one of his fingers gently rubbing against my sensitive nub.

"Love you, _love_ you," he groans back, letting his hips pick up the pace.

We fall together.

It's crashing and bright lights and sparks and fulfillment.

Edward wraps me tightly in his arms afterwards, our sweaty skin sliding easily together.

"It was our choice," he whispers, lips to my temple.

I nod, my face between his neck and shoulder.

Sleepy, I let my eyes close.

_The Phantasm is dark when I enter; the trees and grass are deep purple, almost black, and the sky is the darkest shade of blue. Despite the darkness, though, the stars are doubly as bright and it seems like there are twice as many of them._

_And the rainbow motes of light are glaringly shiny. _

_Renee sits in the middle of the clearing, hands cupping a single point of light. As she looks up at me with a sad smile, the light floats away. _

"_They did not give us a potion," she tells me solemnly._

_I nod because I suspected as much._

_It seems like Dr. Marcus has gotten more serious in recent years._

"_I did not know about Felix and Tanya," Renee says._

_I nod again, because I wouldn't expect her to know about that. "Chelsea is dead, isn't she?"_

_A pause._

"_Yes."_

_I sigh, biting my lips._

"_I had a vision of escape last night."_

"_I know. I sent it to you once the Phantasm showed me."_

"_Is that what all my visions are? You sending them?"_

_Renee shakes her head. "Of course not. The Phantasm reveals what it must and sends it to whoever needs to see it, be the vision a past or future. But you would not have gotten last night's vision otherwise. I felt it was your time to see it."_

"_Thank you," I say. "But what about my friends?"_

"_They will fare fine, assuming they have a plan."_

"_When will it happen?"_

_Renee smiles. "As soon as it happens."_

_I scowl at her. "That could have been more cryptic."_

_Renee nods. "You're right. It could have been. But it wasn't."_

_I lick my lips, thinking of Edward and what had happened only hours before. "Will I…become pregnant?"_

_It's weighing on my mind._

_I have to know._

_It might have been our choice in the end, but it would not be our choice to have a child under these circumstances._

_And if anyone is able to calm my fears – and Izzy's – it's going to be Renee._

_She smiles sadly, shaking her head. "Child, no."_

_But it seems like she's holding something back._

_So, I stare at her in silence, prompting her to continue. _

"_My dear daughter," Renee says. "You will…never fall pregnant."_

_I feel my heart stutter in my chest._

_I don't want to be pregnant now._

_But in the future…_

_I hadn't realized I'd already imagined children with Edward's hair and my face._

_I was too young for that, of course._

_But to have it taken away from me?_

_I wipe my eyes. "Is it because of…what Chelsea did? What Felix did?"_

_Renee shakes her head._

"_Dr. Carlisle."_

_I gasp, holding my hands to my mouth._

_I'd understood that he made the injections that made us stronger – and under Dr. Marcus' orders, he'd laced the injections with some kind of hormonal sex drug._

_But this?_

_Taking away this choice, too?_

_And we'd trusted him and his Esme._

_My hands shake._

_Renee is quick to explain. "He is trustworthy, Bella! I swear it. He _is_ on your side."_

_I shake my head. "No, no he's not. He took this away-"_

"_To stop Marcus," Renee finishes, clasping her hands. "Don't you see? Marcus wants to breed stronger witches for his agenda but he cannot get the witches he wants if none of you are able to parent children."_

"_You mean, Edward, too?"_

"_I'm afraid so."_

_My heart breaks._

_And my mind clears, pin pointing the first time I'd been introduced to chemical enhancements – the soup that Tanya gave me, probably laced with the same drugs._

_Rationality kicks in._

"_Dr. Marcus doesn't know about this?"_

_Renee shakes her head._

"_Good. It's…bearable if it stops this from happening again."_

_Inside, I add that it will have to be bearable because there's no fixing this._

_I have to be strong and get through this._

_Escape and then deal with this._

_Confront Carlisle about this._

_Renee allows me a few moments to come to terms about this new information and the impact on my future before she stands, dusting off her dress._

_Fixing me with a steel stare that spoke of strength I didn't even know existed, Renee speaks. "Now, let me teach you about the Phantasm. Your training begins now."_

* * *

**A/N: Phew. Almost didn't make it before midnight! Anyway, see how things are really uhh picking up speed? Yep. I don't have very many chapters planned right now before these characters are done with their story SO if you have any questions or loose ends that you feel should be tied up, review! Let me know and I'll work some magic!**

**On to reviews:**

**Nalia-R – The age difference is creepy! Lol I didn't really think about it like that.**

**SrslyGiGi – Bella/Izzy the Cougar. Rawr and stuff. Or is it meow?**

**lovestwilight2010 – Good review! **

**vampyregirl86 – Hmm…I'm gonna go ahead and say that the super horny perk works out for everyone pretty well lol And, girl, you have fun with the husband. Reuniting is fun lol**

**CdrIvanova – Yay for memory! And smart Alice!**

**PanteraFenix Negra – Favorite dessert….uhm icecream, cookies, brownies, cake, certain pies….Wow, I should cut down on the sweets lol**

**PatchsFallenAngel – the BF is a genius for that tax system! I'm stealing it eventually lol**

**Twivampchick – my dear! You made me feel so special! I'm gonna hold onto my imagination just for you! And, sadly, Carlisle did think of a birth control….maybe he took it too far?**

**Valentine Rain – No, no lol No immortality in this fic!**

**Tfotwilight – I kind of love you!**

**Sassy Mami – I'm sort of sad that condoms aren't necessary!**

**Kaygou – Hmm, now that's a good question; does Elizabeth know? Thinking thinking thinking about that one!**

**LunaDiSangue85 – Dude. It's okay to feel smug lol Seriously, enjoy it!**

**Holidai – You are fantastic!**

**Welcome2MyWorldxoxo – Yes, yes. The plot is still thickening. Any thicker and I won't be able to see through it lol**

**Dinotopian – Thank you!**

**Krystalwinds1990 – Aww you cried? I'm….oddly happy about that! Score one for the writer!**

**solidae26 – I 'splained ;p**

**zozotheterrible – You said brilliant and I thought of Harry Potter! Made my day!**

**Kimmie41 – Keep them theories coming! I thought witches would be just obvious enough!**

**Love M Go Blue – Pshh, you really wanna harm James, huh? More power to you.**

**YesMyRealNameIsBella – Uh huh, Cougarish Bella, I'm thinking. Sort of. **

**james3142 – Haha, you wanna name the redheaded pryo-psycho? Be my guest!**

**Debslmac - :D**

**Mireads – I'm glad you enjoyed it!**

**BMSCullen – I don't wanna give anything away, so I'm just going to say YES and you get to figure out which question I'm referring to lol**

**And super special shout out to my friend and the first review of the last chapter, all the way from New Zealand….Twilight Rocker 12 – Jealous. I demand a Nutella cupcake!**

**Alright. I'm off. Got an idea for the next chapter!**

**As always, be brutally honest.**

**~cupcakeriot**


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: Don't own it! Don't want to! Am hungry!**

* * *

**Chapter Six**

"_I'm not scared,  
'Cause I know there's something out there waiting for me.  
And I swear that I'll find it someday, just wait and see.  
I don't care that you call me crazy,  
I can't stay 'cause I need room to breathe.  
There's nothing left to say, better sorry than safe."_

_~Halestorm_

_ "This is the limbo," Renee says. "You are between dimensions and worlds. You _can_ see anything you want or need to see. But your head is holding you back."_

_ "I can't get past the whole more-than-one-dimension thing," I mutter, rubbing my temples in an effort to get away from the headache that seemed a constant presence in my life. Izzy was convinced it was from the stress of all the testing – and training – Denali insisted on now that Edward and I and everyone else was paired up; not to mention the stress of mastering the Phantasm every night. My physical body might have been asleep by Edward's vigil form, but my mind was never turned off between my clairvoyance of trying to complete the future of our plan and Izzy's Chronesthesia of trying to figure out what happened in the past of the Denali mansion and Renee training me as fast as possible in the Phantasm every night, because she knew as well as I did that time was running up._

_ In fact, it was only today that, while awake at Denali, it was revealed that Dr. Marcus was looking over the results of the pairings to decide if the two-person groups were strong enough. Edward and I passed with flying colors, of course. We'd never had any doubts, thanks to a quick vision. _

_ I shake my head, ridding myself of my own reality. I nod to Renee. "I'll try again."_

_ My fingers flutter over the rainbow motes of light and I watch as they implode on themselves, stronger and quicker than they ever had for Renee. She'd smiled knowingly when it happened the first time, claiming that the Phantasm knew the new keeper and that it wasn't her – it was me, the new generation. _

_ The Phantasm recognized me and was slowly letting Renee free._

_ It was saddening to watch, but every day her image become more and more translucent; today, she almost flickered._

_ Neither of us mentioned it, but we knew._

_ This would be the last lesson._

_ This would be the last time we _saw_ each other, thought I knew Renee – my mother – and her essence would always linger in the Phantasm. It didn't seem fair that I just found her and she had to leave._

_ But her time in _this_ world was over and she was ready to join Charles. _

_ I think we both had made peace with it. _

_ "Now," she says slowly, softly. "Who do you need to see?"_

_ "Elizabeth," I say immediately._

_ The Phantasm reacts almost instantly, the exploded motes transforming into translucent pockets in the air about the sixe of my hand, with images floating through. The one directly in front of me showed Elizabeth sleeping; the one to my lower left was of her making flyers for Alice and Edward and me; the one to the upper right, the one that always showed the future, showed her embracing her children and then me._

_ Beside me, Renee nods sagely. "Soon, then."_

_ My fingers skim over the image on the right, blurring it together as it disappears slowly, and morphing back into a tiny rainbow. "Very soon, it feels like," I say, taking in the raw _feeling_ that settled in my stomach after touching the image, the feeling that told me soon wasn't an exaggeration and that that future would be happening any day from now. _

_ "And how far in the past?" Renee asks as I brush my hand over the left image._

_ "Last week, yesterday, everyday," I tell her, the vision of the _Missing Children_ flyers burned into my retinas – Alice would be pleased that her mother is looking for her and Edward would absorb the information stoically. _

_ I touch my fingers to the final, present, image and turn back to Renee who, for once, is not in her swing. _

_ Clasping my hands, I study her face, the way her body flicks brightly and then dims, disappearing all together for a few seconds only to flicker back._

_ I know she's the only reason she's here right now – she could have moved on yesterday, when this started happening._

_ I smile at her sadly. "This is the last time, isn't it?"_

_ She returns my smile, her flickering hand moving to touch my cheek. "You are so beautiful, my child. And so young, still. We will see each other again. And you know that if you ever want to check on me, we can communicate between the Phantasm and the spirit world."_

_ I wipe under my eyes, pushing down my mourning. I tell myself that Renee has been dead, literally, from the very beginning. _

_ It's her time to move on._

_ Renee leans forward, touching her lips to my forehead. "I love you, my child."_

_ "I love you, too, Mother," I sniffle, watching as her form slowly fades from the Phantasm._

_ And with one final serene smile, Renee is gone._

_ I hold back my sobs, looking around at the world that is now mine – my own rainbow motes of light, my dewy grass, my trees, my everything._

_ The Phantasm is mine, but I can't stand to stay here for one more second._

I'd stopped waking up from the Phantasm a week ago – it wasn't disorienting anymore to make my conscious go from my world to my reality and back. So, when I blink with tears in my eyes, I go ahead and let out a harsh sob.

Edward's arms tighten around me, pulling my body practically under his, as he wakes up, his eyes automatically roving towards the locked door that he faces. Since being in this room, he has refused to sleep with his back to the door or without me in the security of his arms.

Seeing that there is nothing to be afraid of in this room – at least, nothing that would cause the gut-wrenching sobs escaping me – Edward looks down at me, holding my head to the point between his shoulder and neck and softly rubbing my back.

"Shhh, sweetheart," he murmurs.

I let my fingers dig into his strong flesh, enjoying the strength that all of his training has afforded him.

"She's gone," I tell him. "Moved on to her new world."

I try to catch my breath as Izzy works on calming both of us from the inside.

She, apparently, really does have a better handle on her emotions than I do.

She also has refused to alter in the last two weeks – saving up her energy for when the time comes and we need her clear thinking.

Edward kisses the top of my head. "I'm sorry, baby. But it was her time, right?"

I nod into his neck, feeling my body lose the tension and melt against his chest.

"Then there's nothing to cry about, is there?"

"No," I say, wiping my tears. "You're right. I just…Finally found her and now she's gone."

He kisses my face, my cheeks with tear tracks, and then once, softly, my lips. "You'll be able to see her again, though, with the dimensions," he tells me, reiterating what I shared with him yesterday after Renee herself had told me.

I kiss him back, lingering, closing my eyes and enjoying the connection.

I feel him against my hip and smile – his body had a way of reacting to my own, no matter what the situation was. We'd both worked hard during the last two weeks to get passed the entire notion of never having children, though it was something we both wanted eventually.

Part of that was Renee's insistence that, when the time was right, the healers like Rosalie and Esme, would be able to reverse the effects for a short while, until a child was conceived.

That was what Renee had seen, anyway. I wasn't able to see it, though, and that probably had something to do with the entire situation affecting my emotions and not letting me as clear headed as I needed to be to see that particular future.

Renee had said, though, that it was likely only one child would come of the healing and only one child would ever be birthed. She said it was rare enough that witches like ourselves ever gave life to more than one child in a life time and it was only the very human blood mixed in our veins that allowed for anomaly's - siblings like Edward and Alice or Jasper and Rosalie.

Apparently, it was far more common for witches to be only children.

_Well, I for one, wouldn't want another sibling. It's bad enough I have you, _Izzy snarks, breaking me out of my thoughts and causing me to focus back on the suddenly urgent lips pressing into my own.

_You love me,_ I tell her.

_What can I say? You're my flesh and blood._

_ Literally._

Edward gently bites down on my lower lip and my eyes flutter at the sensation, opening long enough to take in the heavy flakes of snow hitting the ground outside.

I pull back, my eyes riveted on the window.

The snow looked so familiar.

Too familiar.

"It's time," I tell him, not letting my eyes stray from the window.

Edward, too, turns to see what I see. "Today?"

I ignore the incredulity in his voice – the tone that silently says two weeks is too soon – and nod.

Christmas had just passed the day before yesterday.

Polar night in Alaska was about to end and the snow was picking up.

It was time, now.

Today.

And we had a plan to execute.

It took a lot of time, of course, for the other teens here to trust and understand what Edward, Alice and I were trying to tell them – though we skipped the part about the Phantasm. Most of them knew that Alice and I were clairvoyant – seers, really.

They accepted that.

But it didn't seem like enough of them accepted the fact that we really did see the future.

It also didn't seem like any of them ever considered escape.

So, when we started very slowly going through everyone here, feeling them out for who wanted to escape and who wanted to stay with Denali, we were especially careful to do so at night, when people like Carmen and Eleazar were asleep. Edward and I often spent the night going door to door, gathering people.

Probably the most helpful were Seth and Nicole who, thankfully, were paired together by Carmen.

They fit well as a couple.

Even better – and more formidable – as a fighting team. Nicole's influence over her flames were better than the other two pyrokinetics here and Seth was the only shield at Denali, let alone the only shield who could _choose_ who to shield.

Needless to say, when they were moved to the third floor with us, they also became the first contacts in the whispered and stealth round of signaling that we all had constructed for when the time came.

Edward and I told Seth and Nicole, who told Alice and Jasper, who told Emmett and Rosalie, who told Lauren and Tyler and so on and so forth. There was a very specific chain to follow and it all had to be done in a subtle way – which meant that I couldn't tell Rosalie because she and I almost never saw each other during the day.

But, I could tell Edward, who saw Seth first thing every morning, who then told Nicole, who told Jasper during breakfast as they'd formed a snarky relationship, who told Alice, who told Rosalie, who told Emmett, then Tyler and Tyler told Lauren and it continued.

We were very careful to make sure we never spoke to someone we didn't usually interact with – we didn't want to raise any flags.

It might have been easier to use to telepathy that most everyone had at least somewhat learned how to use – but we didn't want to take any risks of someone not being able to connect to another person's mind. Denali might have been insistent on everyone being able to be a telepath, but it simply wasn't true – most classified betas weren't able to do it consistently, even with the enhancements Denali had given us.

We just couldn't take that risk.

So, we made our incredibly intricate game of telephone, skipping over only a few people – like James and the vicious girl he'd been paired up with.

The first thing Edward and I did today, after showering and quickly gathering a small collection of paper evidence against Denali, some clothes and food rations and stashing it all in the zippered end of the duvet – as every pair was instructed to have ready to go – was meet Nicole and Seth out in the hall.

I'd told Edward that it was going to happen today, later today around midnight, when everyone was asleep – and I was certain about it all. Alice had even agreed with me a few days ago that it would definitely happen on a midnight hour, as the moon was supposed to be high in the sky.

Edward had nodded, kissed me deeply and checked the duvet stash again.

Now, I watched as he greeted Seth as he normally did, with a fist bump. Only this time, he made his hand lingered in the bump, staring Seth directly in the eyes for a second longer and muttering, "Today. Midnight."

Seth's eyes barely widened as he wrapped his arm around Nicole's shoulders, just like he always did. He leaned down to kiss her cheek, as was part of routine, and whispered in her ear covertly.

I watched the entire communication during breakfast.

From the outside, everything looked the same – there was nothing different in the interactions of anyone.

It looked the same as it did every morning.

Nicole sat beside Jasper and made fun of his bagel, using her fork to steal one of his sausage links and leaning close enough to relay the message.

Jasper rolled his eyes, albeit a bit slower as he understood Nicole, and turned away to give Alice her morning kiss on her temple.

Alice raved about Rosalie's hair, inspecting the style closely – close enough to whisper.

Rosalie told Alice about her hair style, just like she always does, then moved her hand over Emmett's and squeezed the hand on her thigh, leaning toward him.

Emmett reached across the table, and Tyler, to reach for bacon.

Tyler dropped a utensil, which was pretty common, and stole Lauren's.

Lauren told Ange.

And it kept going.

I was so oddly proud of my peers as I watched everything unfold – James, who was really one of the only people we skipped, didn't suspect a thing.

It all worked out perfectly.

Though every person who needed to know about tonight knew after breakfast, they were all careful to keep up the boisterous charade.

After breakfast, the boys were called outside for their morning work out and training while the girls were left to clean up the kitchen – which was so archaic of a practice that I hated Dr. Marcus all over again.

I moved plates from the table to the sink, where Esme was washing dishes, as she always did.

It was decided very early on that regardless of what Carlisle had done to all of us, he was worth saving – he was important and I think we all understood that he was trying to _help_.

And so, it was my job to let Esme know.

She would tell Carlisle.

And it would complete the circle.

I did tell her, "Tonight at midnight."

When I did, she simple quirked one brow at me and said something about there being a lot of dishes to get done.

Just like always.

_Great. Everyone is playing their fucking parts._

_Yes. They are. Are you ready for yours?_

Izzy snorts. _Of course. Once we get the fuck out of here, I need to touch everything and get a feel for paths that hunters or hitchhikers took. Find a road. Find a town. Use the past to do it. And if I can't, I hand it off to you. If all else fails, we have that Tyler fuckhead, right? He's kind of like a human compass-_

_And he'll keep us going in the right way. It's your job to make sure we're staying as stealth as possible._

_Hence the fucking hunters. I know, I know. It'll work, princess. _

I silently hope so.

Because it's one thing to get everyone out alive.

But it's another thing to get us all back home without money or any other resources.

There were simply too many of us to even consider taking the one cargo van that Denali had – we had to go by foot. In the middle of the night.

The only thing Tyler knew is that we had to go south, towards the middle of Barrow, to find someone to help us – a police officer, the mayor, someone. He only knew we were a few miles north of Barrow; but a few miles in the dark and snow and cold was going to be harder than it seemed, we all knew that.

In addition to that, we'd all agreed that the best way to go was through the woods, in case anyone got out.

Our plan was hardly a fool-proof plan.

But it was a plan.

It was the only plan we had.

Dr. Marcus coming back was both a blessing and a curse.

A blessing because we could get rid of him for good.

And a curse because he was unpredictable. He'd only been back, by rumor, for a few days and none of us had seen him.

And we didn't know how to plan around him.

I think we were all hoping that since he was a lot older, he would be asleep early.

_Here's to fucking hoping._

After the kitchen is spotless, we separate by abilities and move onto our scheduled testing – Alice and I end up with Kate, who, as it turns out, has the uncanny ability to cleanse the psychic energy off of anything. It makes it harder for Alice and I to see the future around her.

But, it also made us stronger.

Kate was okay – a little robotic like Carmen, but not in the creepy-smile way. If anything, Kate was a little _too_ robotic. I don't think I'd ever seen her genuinely smile.

She greets Alice and I, placing a sealed wooden box between us, pressing her hand to the lid. We watch as the box shudders a bit with invisible energy – the cleanse – and as Kate steps back.

Silently, Alice and I get to work, trying to find out either what's in it or what's going to happen to it.

It takes hours.

But, finally, when my numbing fingers are feeling the grain of the box for the thousandth time, I get a quick flash.

_Fire. _

_And lots of it._

_This box will burn._

I keep my face carefully neutral, keeping the vision to myself, and lean back, rubbing my temples in the hopes of getting away from the very real headache. I feel so exhausted that I don't even have to pretend when I look up at Kate. "Can we take a break?" I beg.

Kate nods her head once, nonchalantly, and takes the box back, freezing with a familiar, old rumbling voice stops her.

"No breaks," Dr. Marcus says.

Kate puts the box back down.

She cleanses it again, which makes Alice groan in frustration.

Dr. Marcus watches with a keen eye as we go at the box again.

He lingers.

It makes me nervous and angry.

_I don't like that he's here._

_Fuck. You think I do?_

_No._

He leaves after a while but just seeing him makes me uneasy.

That feeling follows me through the day.

I try not to think too much about it – because we're going to escape.

Today.

Midnight.

Dinner passes as it normally does.

Normal – everyone is trying to normal, acting normal even though we all know the plan and the escape route and where we need to be and when.

We've gone over and over the plan until each person has it remembered flawlessly.

We can do this.

Each of the pairs retreat to their rooms for the night.

Edward and I each take a shower and dress warmly with two layers of socks and our shoes already on our feet. I check the duvet one last time before securing the zipper and rolling it up as tightly as it will go; I even wrap and tie a pillowcase around the middle, to keep it secure. The duvet serves two purposes – one to act as a back pack thanks to the zipper on the end that revealed the comforter was encased in a slip-cover – and the other as a way to keep warm should anything go wrong when we were outside.

It was large enough for two people and big enough to hold the small snacks, clothes and whatever papers we could collect from our training rooms.

The objectives, in order, were to get out, incriminate Denali and get _home_.

I tried not to linger on the fact that I didn't exactly have a home.

There's no way I would willingly go back to Felix's.

Even if he wasn't there.

Edward and I are ready to go fifteen minuets before midnight. Glancing out the window, we see that all of the lights in the rooms are off – perfect to plan.

We have to assume everyone else is ready, too.

And then, there is a knock on the door.

Two steady raps.

My blood runs cold – _because this is not part of the plan._

Izzy is immediately on high alert.

I touch the door and _see_ that Dr. Marcus is on the other side.

Edward must realize this from my stricken face because he steps in front of me silently and takes a deep breath.

We hadn't planned for this but there's no getting around it.

Edward opens the door.

The cane is the first thing I see with my eyes.

And then the fine Italian leather shoes.

And finally, his cold hazel eyes.

"Children," Dr. Marcus greets, closing the door behind him and clicking the lock.

We're trapped.

And it's getting closer to midnight.

_We might not get out._

_Fuck you, Bella. We're getting out._

Dr. Marcus looks at the duvet sitting on the bed and raises his bushy brows. "Going somewhere?"

Edward's voice is steel. "Yes."

Dr. Marcus laughs. "They always try to escape! You know," he says casually, peering at Edward. "You remind me of a lad I once knew. Charles, I believe his name was."

I don't gasp.

I don't bother to blink.

Dr. Marcus truly is a cruel man, because he twists the top of his cane and pulls out a long, sharp knife.

Edward doesn't flinch.

"You know what happened to him? I killed him," he laughs, looking directly at me. "With this very knife. Just like I'll kill you two."

I don't think any of us appreciated how good of an actor Dr. Marcus was – because he moved almost as quick as Edward did, lunging forward knife first just as the bright orange reflection of flames danced across the snow outside.

I knew that all three of the pyrokinetics, Nicole included, had snuck up to the fourth floor and torched every square inch of the Denali rooms – the very rooms that Carmen, Kate, Tanya and Felix stayed in. Being impervious to the fire, they'd walked right through the doors and torched the hallways and the stair cases in the building before retreating to the rooms at five till midnight. Everyone else had gone ahead and opened the windows in the rooms before the fires were started.

No hallway, nor the kitchens and foyer on the first floor, were missed. By now, Nicole and the other pyros were putting on clean clothes and preparing for the drop into the snow.

We had maybe a minuet before all the alarm clocks in the rooms went off – the loud, synchronized signal that was set so everyone was on the same page at the right time.

So, my eyes flicker between the clock and Edward's large hands covering Dr. Marcus' as they struggle with the knife.

I almost close my eyes when it looks like Dr. Marcus get's the upper hand – but it's a good thing that my eyes refuse to close, otherwise I would have missed it.

Just as the knife should have gone through Edward's stomach, a bleary _force_ breaks in front of him.

I recognize the force instantly.

My parents.

Charles stands tall and stoic, the knife plunged into his translucent stomach, with Renee beside him.

Dr. Marcus is stunned to see very _real_ ghosts – which I knew were real because I knew that spirits could travel between the dimensions. I'd learned that the other day and I realize that _this _was why Renee told me.

So I would be prepared for this moment.

The distraction of the ghosts – of my parents – is perfect.

The training made Edward so much stronger than he had been.

He's stronger than Dr. Marcus.

In one quick motion, Edward executes a move he'd learned, pressing his thumb into a pressure point on Dr. Marcus' hand and taking hold of the knife, his movements not hindered by the translucent forms of Charles and Renee, who blur a bit as they move out of Edward's way.

Edward doesn't hesitate for a second when he shoves the metal into Marcus' chest, to the hilt.

Almost immediately, blood begins trickling out of Marcus' mouth and I realize that watching someone's death must be as haunting as dying.

The alarm starts going off at the other side of the room.

I ignore it, kneeling down beside Marcus with a frown on my face. "Why did you do it? Why kidnap witches?

Marcus spits out blood, glaring at me – defeated and mad about it. "Why do you think, you stupid child? Do you even know the _power_ you possess? I want access to that Phantasm. I wanted that power…"

Marcus' final moments are spent coughing up blood.

I can't bear to look at him.

I stand and look at my parents.

Renee's hand tickles against my cheek. "You've succeeded child," she smiles, beginning to flicker. "This will never happen to any one else."

"You did what we couldn't, Bella," Charles says proudly. I feel such respect for him – not to mention a familiarity. There isn't a seconds worth of doubt that this is my father.

"We can rest in peace, my child," Renee says, pressing a kiss to my forehead.

Charles and Renee flicker out of the room and tears cloud my vision.

But it is hot inside the room – too hot.

Flames lick under the door.

I can't risk lingering any longer.

The alarm clock is still blaring.

I can hear shouting from outside and I see the heavy snow out the window.

"Bella," Edward yells from the window, holding his arms out to me.

I grab the bedspread, tucking it against my chest.

Edward's arms wrap around me and we stand at the open window.

We jump as the door opens, flames exploding into the room and covering a cane and an old, agonized cough.

Edward lands well in the snow, with a soft grunt and I take inventory around us. Everyone is accounted for. Nicole and the other pyrokinetics are carefully burning the house – Nicole leads them, her flames brighter and hotter than the others. Once they are done, our group heads into the dark woods.

My last sight before Izzy alters is of the Denali mansion burning under the full moon.

Edward kisses me soundly.

And I smile.

We survived. We escaped. And now, we'll thrive.

* * *

**A/N: Well, there you have it. The final chapter of Phantasm. I know I know – what was the point in have a sequel when I'm only doing six official chapters? I don't know. I didn't really think it through….Anyway, the epilogue is being posted immediately after this so, let me reply to the final Phantasm reviews!**

**Flavia Ribeiro – Yes!**

**Nightlydusk – Oh, you should read the epi then…**

**james3142 – Most everyone broke out! Yay!**

**Kimmie41 – Stupid, stupid Carlisle!**

**Love M Go Blue – Tanya was a creepy chick, huh? Good thing she's dead now!**

**PatchsFallenAngel – Edward Express? Oh dear lol**

**vampyregirl86 – Not too sad! I have a solution!**

**SrslyGiGi – Good song choice lol Eye of the Tiger, lalalalalalaaalala.**

**Dinotopian – I didn't even think of it like that, but I guess it could sort of be considered nonconsensual…**

**Kaygou – Not so sad! Read the epi!**

**Breenda15 – I promise the epi makes it totally not as sad lol**

**CdrIvanova – I like this world, too! I might have to revisit the mechanics of it, eventually!**

**Nalia-R – Totally understand! I want kids, but I wanna see my feet, too lol**

**Debslmac – Loving you!**

**Tfotwilight – Ta-da!**

**Twilight Rocker 12 – Bellwards? Lol Nice, very nice. Beh-beh Bellwards….Epi!**

**lovestwilight2010 – Hope you enjoyed!**

**Valentine Rain – She's not immortal, but she does age. Chelsea only paused her aging, she didn't stop it. The chanting was kind of a spell to pause Bella's growth – as soon as the chanting stopped, Bella kept growing**

**zpower21 – Bella did have to deal with a lot, huh? Poor kid!**

**YesMyRealNameIsBella –You're right! Women do get a lot of self-worth from being able to have babies…but I solved the problem!**

**Holidai – Ahh, the only prediction that ended in death lol**

**Krystalwinds1990 – Yep! If all of the girls and boys are infertile, there are no future generations to experiment on! Sad but necessary…for now!**

**brittany86 – Sad but I promise it's bearable!**

**And superawesomespecial shout out to the first review of the last chapter, the great and mighty….Welcome2MyWorldxoxo – For now ;) I would take a look at the epilogue, you know lol Good things often happen there!**

**Alright, Rioteers, I'm off to post this epilogue!**

**As always, be brutally honest. I can take it.**

**~cupcakeriot**


	7. Epilogue

**Disclaimer: Don't own it! Don't want to! Still hungry!**

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**Epilogue**

"_Here's to us.  
Here's to love.  
Here's to us.  
(Wish everybody well.)"_

_~Halestorm_

I still visit the Phantasm.

It's been years since I met Edward and years since we've escaped.

It's also been years since Izzy and I finally melded into one person, though it still feels off in my head when I can't talk to someone; I've actually taken to splitting into _Izzy _and _Bella_ while in the Phantasm.

I can't help it. I missed my other half.

Initially, after burning the mansion, we'd thought getting to Barrow would be easy – a few hours at the most before we were walking through a police station.

We got lost.

Twice.

And then, there was the matter of explaining to the police what had happened to us – without giving away the fact that we were witches. It was a unanimous decision to stick with the story of, "Yes, they thought we were _psychics_. Can you believe that? Those loons."

Eventually, we all got home.

Elizabeth welcomed me into her family with open arms; she even kicked Edward out of his own room and he slept on the couch for the next year until he went off to Columbia for college.

Together, Alice and I told Elizabeth everything about Heidi, Renee, Charles and Marcus – not to mention the Phantasm.

After Alice and I graduated from Albany Academy, we took a year off before college to go to our ancestral homeland of Ireland. Edward was very reluctant for me to leave, but he understood; he stayed at Columbia and waited for me.

In Ireland, Alice and I found not only evidence of our ancestors' magic, but cousins. We all visit Ireland during Christmas, now.

Between us, Alice and I have a fully documented record of our roots that we've shared with everyone who was with us at Denali, as we all still keep in touch.

Nicole and Seth moved to New York city.

Emmett and Rosalie finally got together – and stayed together – and they live across the street now.

Carlisle and Esme moved to Canada but visit every few months. I've come to look up to them as my surrogate parents.

Edward waited until after I graduated from college to propose.

We were married not three months afterwards.

And now, as I lay here in labor, waiting for ice chips from my darling, very scared husband, I think about the news we got four months ago.

_Twins._

Renee had said it wouldn't be possible but it was.

It took a long time, but Rosalie had finally found a way to reverse whatever Carlisle had done to us with the injections – she now has three boys who are exactly like Emmett.

Alice and Jasper also just had a baby – they have a daughter named Heidi.

Another contraction hits me just as Edward walks into the room meekly. "Are you going to curse my balls again, sweetheart?"

I grit my teeth. "It's not your _balls_ that I have a problem with, dear, it's your fucking penis that is my issue right now," I spit in spite of myself.

I wanted to be nice to him.

Really, I did.

But I couldn't have any pain medication _because_ of the injections from my time at Denali so I was doing this the natural way.

Sometimes, I really hated Carlisle.

Edward winces and hands me the ice chips. "I love you, too, baby."

He's such a good man.

It isn't until hours later than I'm crying tears of pure joy.

Our twins are beautiful – a little red and with scrunched up faces, but beautiful.

We named the boy Charles, after my father who saved Edward's life.

And our daughter is named after Renee and truly looks like the spitting image of my own mother.

As I run my finger down my daughter's delicately sloping nose, I suddenly have a vision of myself in the Phantasm, teaching my toddlers how to see their own futures – just as my belated mother taught me.

People say that time heals all wounds.

That's true.

But time also brings the future forward.

And my own future is bright.

~END~

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**A/N: And…that's the end. Voila.**

**You know, I'm only sort of sad to see these characters off – they told their story and I'm happy even though this entire _sequel_ idea was sort of dumb lol There may be, of course, futuretakes updated to this story...  
**

**Worry not, dear ones! I do have a few other plots in my head for new stories!**

**You want some input on those?**

**Check out Facebook for polls about the next story – what do _you_ think I should do? What should the characters look like? What's your opinion on story titles? You can find my profile by going to…. My profile here on (check under RANDOM FACTS)  
**

**Thank you to every single person who reviewed, followed and favorited this story – You guys are all awesome and I can't even imagine myself finishing a story with out each and everyone one of you!**

**See you soon!**

**As always, be brutally honest. I can take it.**

**~cupcakeriot**


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